Zola's Anatomy
by karevsprincess
Summary: In the year 2040, Zola Shepherd is a fourth year resident, but her budding surgical career becomes even more difficult when a complicated relationship with Tuck Jones, the internships of her brother Bailey and his friends, a conflict with her best friend Sofia Sloan Torres, and a death in the Grey Sloan Memorial family are thrown in the mix. The next generation of Grey's. HIATUS.
1. Pilot

**A/N**: I've been thinking about this story for a while now, and I finally wrote the first installment. I hope you like it. Basically, it centers on Zola, Bailey, Tuck, Sofia, and the children of some other Grey Sloan surgeons when they start working at the hospital. Each chapter will start and end with a narration from Zola (the italics). She'll probably be the central character, however they are all important, and I will be happy to pay some more attention to any characters/couples/storylines you find particularly interesting.

Since these chapters (or episodes, as I refer to them as, since this is basically like a novel formatted version of the show) are so long, I don't know how often I will update. It really depends on the word count and my ideas. I will try to post a new episode every few weeks or more – if you like this first chapter, that is.

This story will have some mature themes. They won't be frequent, but in this first chapter I did reference past addictions, sexual abuse and eating disorders. I also talk about death – but I mean, this is _Grey's Anatomy_ we're talking about, so you're probably used to that.

Please tell me if you guys want another chapter – what you like, what you don't like, etc. I'll also try to fit in any requests for future storylines, but just know I probably won't be able to get to them right away. I also plan to have some past _Grey's_ characters make appearances to stir up some drama later on. If there's someone you'd really love to see, you can request for them to make an appearance too.

So, without further ado (well, except for that pesky disclaimer), here is the pilot of _Zola's Anatomy_!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Grey's Anatomy_.

* * *

><p>"<em>Why do you want to be a surgeon?"<em>

_It's not a difficult question. Eight words, twenty four letters. It should be just as simple to answer._

Zola Shepherd impatiently tapped her fingers against the counter of the nurses' station, her eyes on the door to the on-call room. She checked her watch for what had to be the fifth time since she'd been standing there. Fifteen minutes. She'd been waiting for fifteen minutes now.

_Surgery is practically in my blood. Everyone knew I was destined to be a surgeon like my mom and dad were, as well as my grandmother, and my aunts…I could go on. I come from a long line of doctors. Even all of our family friends are doctors. But the family legacy and what not isn't why I chose to go to med school. It couldn't possibly be. There had to be some other reason._

Slowly, Zola approached the door. She could hear moaning – great, just great. She hesitated before lifting her hand up, wrapping her knuckles against it. "Sof? It's me. I know you're in there."

The moaning suddenly ceased, and there was a loud sigh, obviously from her best friend. The door opened and Sofia Sloan Torres gave her an annoyed look as she did the drawstring on her pants. Her scrub top was wrinkled and her brown hair was sticking up in the back, her lipstick smudged at the corners of her lips. "What do you want, Zola?" She asked. "I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

Zola looked down awkwardly. "I know, I kind of heard that…" She looked at Sofia's company, a blonde-haired guy without a shirt on and hands over his crotch.

Sofia sighed. "Zola, meet Pete, Pete, meet Zola." She pointed to them as she said their names.

"Actually," The guy interjected. "It's Paul."

"We're having a conversation here, Pete! Don't interrupt!" Sofia snapped at him, causing Paul to look down at the hands over his privates and keep silent. Sofia turned back to Zola now, straightening out her clothes. "What is it, Zo?"

"It's July 1st," She said, and when Sofia only gave her a blank stare in return, she clarified. "It's new intern day."

"Oh," The other woman nodded, and stepped out of the on-call room and slammed the door before Paul could say anything.

Zola looked at her. "Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

"To who?" Sofia asked, looking at her quizzically. "To Peyton?"

Zola laughed and rolled her eyes, and the two best friends started walking down the hallway together. "Where do you find all these guys?"

"Well, I met him in radiology," Sofia replied. "Not exactly boyfriend material, but I needed a fix."

"Since when do you look for boyfriend material?" Zola questioned. She'd never met someone as promiscuous as Sofia. It seemed that she had a new boy toy practically every day – not just radiologists, but other residents, interns, male nurses, and guys from the grocery store or the gym on the weekends. And since the two not only worked together, but shared an apartment too, Zola usually had to bear witness to every single one of them.

"Oh, shut it!" Sofia laughed, playfully slugging her friend on the arm. "So, are you excited? Fresh blood today!" She meant the interns of course. As fourth year residents, they both would have several assigned to their services, and it was their job to teach them. Zola was usually pretty good about teaching her interns, while Sofia thought most of them were idiots, but enjoyed having people to bring her coffee.

"I guess," Zola said, shrugging her shoulders. This year, though, she really wasn't in the mood to be anyone's mentor, considering…

"Bailey's gonna be an intern this year, right?" Sofia asked, unintentionally cutting off her thoughts. Zola nodded. "That's something to look forward to, isn't it? You'll get to boss your little bro around!"

"I already do," Zola replied, and the two girls laughed. They reached the spot where they were supposed to go to get their intern assignments, and stopped walking. "So," Zola began to say. "Are you at all optimistic that this year's batch –"

Sofia wasn't listening though, she was staring at someone over Zola's shoulder. She smiled and reached up to wave. "Tuck! Hey Tuck, over here!"

With wide eyes, Zola spun around quickly. Sure enough, Tuck Jones himself was standing a few feet away, grinning at Sofia. His face faltered when his eyes locked with Zola's, and he gave her a half-smile that was probably meant to be reassuring.

_Some days though, I'm convinced anyone who chose this must be crazy._

* * *

><p>Derek Bailey Shepherd stumbled through the doors to the Grey Sloan Memorial ER, his best friend Wyatt Karev slumped over his shoulder. "Any free beds?" He asked one of the nurses, Mindy. She'd always been his favorite in the ER when he was a kid – she used to always hang up his and Zola's pictures at the nurses' station.<p>

Nurse Mindy nodded towards one now. "Over there. What's wrong with him?"

Bailey turned to his friend and grabbed him by the chin, trying to straighten him out. Wyatt merely only looked up for a second and then drooped back down again, causing Bailey to emit a sigh. "He's drunk off his ass." He told Mindy, readjusting his grip on him.

The nurse rose an eyebrow. "It's not even seven am." She said, and Bailey nodded, as if to say 'I know'. "Well, he's a real keeper, isn't he?"

"It's the Karev genes." Bailey joked, and Nurse Mindy laughed. It wasn't that Bailey had any problems with Wyatt's family – he loved them, actually. Wyatt's dad was Bailey's Uncle Alex (not his actual uncle, just one of his parents' oldest friends) as well as his godfather, but before he'd met Wyatt's mom, Bailey's Aunt Jo, he'd been known for his womanizing and cocky demeanor. And Wyatt was too much like that younger version of his father for his own good. Wyatt was definitely a serial sleeper, the kind of guy who was handsome and knew it. With his perfect dark brown hair and eyes, his impressive body, and charming smile, he could make any girl weak at the knees. Wyatt also always managed to get himself into stupid situations – like showing up to his first day as an intern trashed – and as his best friend, Bailey often went down with him.

And honestly, not that long ago, Bailey had been exactly like him. He was just as good looking, having his father Derek's thick, dark hair and striking eyes, and together, the two had been partners in crime, so to speak. In high school, they'd been total players, the kind of guy all of the girls wanted, from the nerd to the prom queen. When they'd attended University of Washington together for college and medical school, they'd joined the same fraternity, and had a lot of fun going to parties, hooking up with girls, and getting drunk. But now, Bailey was twenty-seven, a grown man. When he'd gotten this internship, he'd decided it was time to start acting like it. It seemed, however, that it would take a lot more for Wyatt to change his ways.

Bailey led him to the bed and gently lowered his friend down. Wyatt stirred, and reached up to touch his forehead. "Shit, man." He mumbled, trying to sit up. "My head feels like it's being ripped in half."

"That's because you're wasted right now," Bailey told him, with just a hint of annoyance. "Now lie back down and sleep it off, you're not going to even get a look at an OR if you have this kind of blood-alcohol level."

Wyatt laughed and did what Bailey told him to. "Oh, right!" He said. "Work!" He laughed again. "I totally forgot."

Bailey discreetly rolled his eyes. He really did care about Wyatt, but sometimes being his friend was a pretty damn hard job. "What the Hell were you doing last night anyway?"

"I met these chicks at Joe's," Wyatt said, rolling onto his side while Nurse Mindy stuck her head in. She offered Bailey some painkillers, and he smiled and took them from her. She ducked back out while he poured some into his hand for Wyatt. "They were super hot," His friend was continuing. "Hmm, blonde. With crop tops. And bellybutton rings. It was a wild night."

Bailey chuckled and handed him the meds. "Wow," He said sarcastically. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there."

Wyatt smirked and took the painkillers, popping them into his mouth and swallowing. "I tried to call you, dude."

Bailey patted his shoulder. "Just get some sleep, okay buddy? And leave the nurses alone today." Wyatt laughed, then closed his eyes and tried to oblige.

Bailey checked the time. He had to report for assignments in fifteen minutes. He'd have to hurry. The youngest Shepherd went to the locker room and changed in record time, then headed back to the ER to see how Wyatt was doing. When he arrived, he saw a woman who had definitely not been there before. She was gorgeous, there was no denying that – brunette ponytail, pretty brown eyes, _awesome_ body. "Can I help you with something?" He called out to her.

The girl smiled at him – God, she had a really nice smile. "Yes," She said. "I'm looking for Dr. Karev."

Bailey looked this girl up and down. She definitely didn't look like a blonde with a crop top and bellybutton piercing. She was wearing light blue scrubs, the same color as his – had Wyatt already used the Karev blend of good looks, sleaziness and charm to woo an intern or resident? "Well, you're in luck, I know all of the Dr. Karev's here." He said. "There's three of them, which one are you looking for?"

"Four," The girl corrected.

Bailey shook his head. "No, there's three. Dr. Wyatt Karev, Dr. Alex Karev, Dr. Jo Karev. Three."

"No, I'm pretty sure there's four," The girl said, sticking her hands into her pockets and smirking.

"I told you, there's three. What – can a pretty girl like you not count?"

The girl laughed. "I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted!" She said. "Well anyway, I really don't care which one of them I see."

"Wyatt's right over here," Bailey said, leading her to his friend's bed. Why did this girl think there were four Dr. Karev's? He'd known the family all of his life. He knew only three Dr. Karev's worked here. Before he could say anything else, the girl had already thrown back the curtain so she could enter, and shut it closed in Bailey's face.

Bailey stopped for a second, shocked. Who did she think she was? He opened the curtain again, to give her a piece of his mind, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Wyatt and the girl engaged in friendly conversation, laughing and teasing each other.

"Oh come on Megs, lighten up." Wyatt was saying. "I don't need you to act like my mom. I have, well, Mom for that."

Wait a minute.

"God, look at you Wyatt! You're a mess! Remind me how I shared a uterus with you for thirty-six weeks?"

She was –

Megan Karev grinned when she saw he'd joined them. "Hello Bailey," She said, turning her body away from Wyatt and towards him. "Good to see you remember me."

Bailey could only gawk at her. This was his best friend's sister, whose pigtails he had pulled when they were kids? Who used to have glasses and an overbite? Who had dyed her hair purple during freshman year and started wearing ripped fishnets and black T-shirts? To say he was dumbfounded would be an understatement. "You look so…different."

Megan smiled, looking him over from his mused, dark curls to the scuffed up pair of sneakers he couldn't bear to throw away. "And you look exactly the same," She told Bailey. "I see you and Wyatt are still partying like frat boys?"

Bailey gulped. He had a feeling today would be a very interesting first day.

* * *

><p>Lydia Hunt sighed and shook her hand out to try to regain the feeling in her fingers. While being The Chief's daughter definitely had its perks, the paperwork he often saddled her with was not one of them. She reached up to pull her hair back into a ponytail – despite the fact that she was adopted, her father, Owen, and her looked a lot alike. They had the same red hair. Her mother always said it was one of the reasons she'd been drawn to her when her foster parents had brought into the ER that first time, despite her general dislike of small children.<p>

Despite looking like her adoptive father, Lydia had always been more like her mother – _the_ Cristina Yang, as she often liked to brag – personality wise. Lydia was hardcore, career oriented. She'd had an interest in her mother's specialty of cardio practically since the day she'd treated her for arrhythmia at the age of seven. Now that she was finally an attending this year, after five long years of residency and two of fellowship, she was more determined than ever. Lydia was going to be the best cardio surgeon at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, if she had anything to say about it. And someday, when her mother retired – because even she would have to eventually – Lydia was going to be the next chief of cardiothoracic surgery. You didn't make it far in life by dreaming small, after all.

"Hey, kiddo." Owen said, walking over to her now. Lydia smiled, letting him kiss her forehead. "How's the paperwork going?"

"Slowly and tediously," Lydia said, taking another swig of her coffee – black, no sugars, because even her drinks had to be hardcore. Lydia Hunt had never been one to half-ass anything.

"Well, if you're going to be head of cardio someday, you'll need to get used to it." Owen said. Lydia grinned – yes, everything was going according to plan.

"Is there anything I can scrub in on today?" She asked. She batted her eyelashes discreetly, because Owen could never say no to her when she looked at him like that.

At least, she thought he couldn't. "Not today, Lyd." He said. "It's new intern day. You need to report for your assignments." He smiled, patted her on the back and said he'd see her later, then continued on his way before he could see her face fall.

That was another thing Lydia had inherited from her mother – she really was a surgery whore.

* * *

><p>Connor Avery sat up in bed, rubbed his head as he looked around the room. Next to him, the owner of the small apartment was still fast asleep, face buried into the pillow and topless. Connor sighed and tried to slip out of the bed without waking them, covered himself with a sheet as he looked for his clothes. It was a ritual he'd gotten used to over the past couple months – pick someone up, go to their place, have drunken relations, sneak out in the morning, and repeat. No one ever had to know, and that was the beauty of it.<p>

As Connor pulled on his T-shirt, he looked at the clock. He still had ten minutes to make it to the hospital on time, and he could not afford to be late. He had to make a good first impression today.

Some people thought that having the last name Avery made everything easier for Connor, but that wasn't always the case. Sure, it got him perks sometimes, but it was also a huge pain in the ass. He'd heard the whispers at orientation, about how he was only here because he was Jackson Avery and April Kepner's son. Today, Connor would have to prove them all wrong.

As he walked out the door, he checked his phone. There was another chipper text from his mom, saying she missed him and hoped he'd have a good day today. He typed up a quick, disinterested reply and shoved it back into his pants pocket. He'd found himself drifting from his mother recently, his father too. The sneaking around for secret rendezvouses with strangers didn't really help that. Connor just felt like they didn't even know each other anymore. It was like, he'd spent so much time trying to escape who he was that somewhere along the lines he'd escaped them too.

With a sigh, he pulled out his phone again, hovered over his mother's name on the screen again – he'd changed it from 'Mom' to 'April' months ago, not that he'd ever tell her that – before typing another text. _I love you, Mom._

Her reply was almost instantaneous, and he could practically hear her voice in his head while he read it. _Aww, honey, I love you too. You're going to do so great today. _Connor hated being called honey, but it still managed to bring a smile to his face when she said she loved him.

He just hoped she still would when she found out.

* * *

><p>Megan Karev and Bailey Shepherd had never had much in common.<p>

Growing up, Bailey had always been Wyatt's best friend. And so obviously, that meant he was supposed to agree that his sister was the stupidest, most cootie invested girl on the planet. The fact that they were polar opposites didn't help – Bailey was always handsome, even at four years old, pair that with an outgoing and adventurous personality, and he just didn't mix with Megan, who was shy, studious, and always had her nose in a book.

Growing up, Megan had never been one of the popular kids, like Bailey and Wyatt. She'd been lame, a geek, a weirdo. Really, Megan had always set out to be the best student she could be, to make her parents proud, and popularity did not come along with that. As a kid, Alex and Jo had given Megan and her brother everything, they really were the best parents a girl could ask for. And when she'd heard about when they'd had to go through when they were her age – well, Megan knew then she had to make sure their lives were so much better from then on. And Wyatt wasn't exactly stepping up to the plate – yeah he was smart, but he frequently misbehaved, got himself into scrapes and messy situations. That left Megan to be the golden child.

In elementary school, she'd still had a layer of baby fat, and always squinted at everything because they didn't know she needed glasses until the fifth grade. She'd tried to play with other kids at recess but most of them turned their noses up at her, because she was just Wyatt's uncool twin sister. In middle school, that baby fat turned into fifteen extra pounds she couldn't lose, she didn't squint anymore but Bailey now called her four eyes, and the only kids who talked to her by choice were the ones who wanted to cheat on her in math because she was on the honor roll. But this time, Megan wasn't so naïve – she knew people didn't like her, so she just forced a smile and pointed her answers to the open ended problems their way.

She was fifteen years old when she decided to make a drastic change. She cut off her long, brown locks so they stopped just below her chin, and dyed them a bright shade of purple from a kit she bought at the drug store. She also cashed in all of her allowances at Hot Topic to buy a new wardrobe. When her parents first saw her new look she was grounded for a week on the spot. Megan hated making them unhappy, but she just had to do…_something_.

The summer between eighth grade and freshman year was also the time when Megan dropped twenty pounds. When she showed up in September with colorful hair and a thin figure, everyone whispered – but not because they were mocking her, because they couldn't believe this was the girl they'd once known. While her grades didn't slip and she didn't lose a single IQ point, much to everyone's surprise, Megan herself acted totally different, at least at school anyway, showing her classmates a new eff it attitude. She acted like she didn't care what people thought, but secretly, she did. So much. That was the problem.

It was October of junior year when Bailey found her. She didn't know why he came into the girls' bathroom – she never asked him, but she figured he must've heard her. Megan still remembered the moment when she'd looked up after being caught by Bailey with her fingers shoved down her throat, her purple hair containing traces of vomit. She'd been expecting him to walk away, not to care, because again Bailey and her had never gotten along, let alone been friends. But instead, Bailey Shepherd had surprised her by kneeling down and wiping her face off with toilet paper, rubbing circles on her back as she sputtered and coughed. "You don't need any of this," He'd whispered to her, gesturing from the toilet to her combat boots. Then, he got up and left. And that was it.

The next day, Megan dyed her hair back to its original color, returned to wearing jeans and sweaters, threw away her kohl eyeliner and black nail polish. Everyone was relieved when she went back to being just sweet, happy, normal Megan. And Bailey never told anyone what he saw, their relationship never changed. He would still date a slew of girls and go out with Wyatt on the weekends. But Megan couldn't help but notice that his eyes would always ghost over her plate when they found themselves seated at a table together, just to make sure she was eating, and that he would always ask if everything was okay when he saw her go into the bathroom for more than two minutes.

A little over a year later, she left for California to attended UCLA, her top choice. There, she got contacts and a more normal hairstyle, let her nose piercing close up, and found her passion when she got her first taste of what it was like in the medical field. Bailey and Wyatt attended University of Washington together, and sometimes her brother would send her the pictures of them together, playing beer pong and posing with sorority sisters. She would roll her eyes and text back that he should do his homework. And sometimes, in her mind, Megan would wonder about Bailey. Was he really that changed guy she'd caught a glimpse of in the girls' bathroom? Or was that day just a fluke?

One thing was for sure though – Megan never made herself throw up again.

* * *

><p>Wyatt Karev was infamous for his sleeping around.<p>

It was a concept that had been introduced to him by Sarah St. Patrick, who took his virginity behind the bleachers during freshman year of high school. The next day, he'd heard that she'd been caught with Freddy Wells. Most guys would've been angry, but not Wyatt. He was fascinated. From Sarah St. Patrick, he learned that he had the good looks, the charm and the popularity necessary to get away with it. Bailey did too, so the two of them used to party together, get wasted, pick up girls, break their hearts. For years, that was just what the two of them did together. But while Bailey had since decided to move on, Wyatt couldn't. Because he didn't just sleep around because he was an asshole. No, it was much more than that.

Wyatt knew about his family history, he had since he was a child. Those stories of his father watching his own dad shoot up on heroin while somewhere in the house his mom screamed that there were people in the walls listening to her, and creepy foster fathers who used to come into his mother's room late at night and force her to pull down her pajama pants and spread her legs. Stories that were only discussed when Alex or Jo was having a practically painful day, when the memories were too much to bear, stories only uttered behind closed doors when they thought he was asleep in some form of freaky pillow talk. But he heard them, and it terrified him because he knew that if people could do those things as terrible as that, people really had to be horrible. Trust issues were practically a birthright in the Karev-Wilson family lineage, and Wyatt definitely had them. He knew he was the only person he could trust. Getting close to people just meant getting hurt. And he'd be damned if anyone hurt him. He didn't want to have to have stories about drug addicted family members or crazy women screaming at voices in her head or creepy men who used to touch him, and he could only guarantee that if he kept his guard up at all times.

When he screwed random girls, the only person getting hurt was them. Going through life perpetually drunk and always partying also got rid of the feelings of inadequacy he had because he wasn't as smart as his sister and he thought his parents deserved a better son, at least while he was doing it. When he was sober, those feelings would come back again along with a throbbing headache, leading to him doing it again. So, when he did things like showing up to new intern day hung-over and having had a ménage a trois with two blondes the night before, no one knew the real reasons why he'd done it.

* * *

><p>For most of her life, the only family Sofia Sloan Torres knew was her mother.<p>

Her father had died when she was still small, too young to have many memories of him. She only knew him from stories and photos, from the comments people made when they saw her first last name. As for her mother's ex-wife, she had more memories of Arizona, but it had been years since she'd seen her, so she might as well have been dead too. "We just couldn't make our marriage work," Callie used to always say. "But there are no hard feelings, and Arizona is just as much your mother as I am. She loves you, Sofia."

Sofia wasn't stupid though, she knew what Arizona did. She heard the stories people told. She knew that Arizona had cheated on her mother, and even though they tried to make things work they couldn't, so Arizona ran off with a resident. She used to call sometimes, tell Sofia how much she missed her, and send her Christmas and birthday presents that were signed with both her and her girlfriend's names. It hadn't been perfect, but at least they talked. Until Sofia screwed up.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore!" She'd screamed at Arizona over the phone one day, after receiving another five dollar birthday card signed "From Mama and Leah." She was twelve then, and knew about what Arizona had done to Callie. Being young and foolish, she'd thought she'd be happier with Arizona out of her life. She thought that it was better this way.

"Oh, Sofia." Arizona had began, sounding hurt. "Honey, we can talk about this..."

"Do not call me honey!" She'd shouted back. "You left me! You aren't my mom and I don't want to ever hear from you again! Don't call me, don't send me stupid birthday cards, just get out of my life!"

On the other line, it was silent for a long time. "...I'm sorry," Arizona said. It sounded like she was crying. And then the line went dead. Arizona never called again, never sent anymore gifts, never tried to reconnect with Sofia. A few months after the incident, Sofia tried to call her, to apologize for her rash behavior, only to find that she'd changed her number.

She may have said get out, but she never thought Arizona would actually listen.

Callie was a great mom. She always had been. And Sofia knew it was hard to do the job for not only two, but three parents. She really loved her mami, as she affectionately called her, they were super close and Callie was Sofia's best friend (not counting Zola, of course). But it was still hard for Sofia. Her dad was dead. Her second mom had left her. People used to say that she had daddy issues, but it was worse than that. Sofia had daddy _and _mommy issues.

People thought the reason Sofia slept around was because she was like Mark. And she let them think that, but that wasn't the case. Truth was, Sofia was lonely. So everywhere she went, she tried to find a man to fill the void that had been left by her father's death and Arizona's leaving. A radiologist who had her father's eyes. An anesthesiologist who had Arizona's smile. She took them all to bed, and she didn't care what people had to say about it, or what excuses they made for her.

Because for that one moment, while a man with Mark's eyes or Arizona's smile was looking at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world, alone was the last thing she was.

* * *

><p>Tuck Jones watched from afar as Zola Shepherd stared at her clipboard. He admired the way she furrowed her brow in concentration as she read the names of her interns, how a few strings of her dark hair had fallen from her ponytail and curled around her face, the impatient, steady tapping of her foot which sounded like music to his ears.<p>

It was odd to think that just six months ago they'd been friends. Great friends, in fact. They'd gotten along well ever since Zola had been assigned to his service while she was an intern. From day one, she'd been the person he relied on the most, and not just for surgeries. While they'd had a great professional relationship, they'd had a good personal one too. They'd always made sure the other one wasn't in over their head, looked out for the each other's wellbeing, celebrated successful surgeries with a few drinks at Joe's afterwards.

But six months ago the little world they'd been living in had come crashing down. Tuck had known better. He knew Zola shouldn't have been in that OR, it wasn't appropriate given the close relationship she'd had with the patient. He shouldn't have let her been there when he flatlined. He should've had someone take her out of the room, so she didn't have to see...

And what he'd did next had arguably been the most inappropriate behavior of all. Because when she'd ran out of the room sobbing, when she'd needed her friend to comfort her and tell her it would all be okay, he'd done something absolutely crazy that caused her to be unable to look at him now.

Tuck sighed to himself and continued to watch Zola. He just needed to talk to her. He knew he'd regret it forever if he didn't. The attending general surgeon took a deep breath and then walked over to the resident in three big strides, so she didn't have time to see him and walk away. Tuck smiled uneasily. "Hey, Shep."

Zola looked up at him, startled. He hadn't called her Shep in six months. Hell, he hadn't called her anything in six months because she wasn't talking to him. The resident's body suddenly tensed up, her foot stilled and her breathing momentarily stopped. "...Tuck," She finally whispered, so low he was surprised he could hear it.

"I'm so sorry, Zola." He blurted out. "For everything. I'm sorry I let you into that OR, I'm sorry for what I did, I'm sorry..." Tuck gulped and shook his head. _I'm sorry we couldn't save him. _

"Tuck," Zola repeated, like it was the only word she knew. The way she was looking at him right now, those big brown eyes staring at him so sadly, made him feel sick to his stomach. "Tuck, I..."

They were interrupted when the stream of interns emerged from the locker room. Some were happily chatting away while others looked terrified. A pretty brunette appeared by their side, and soon a reluctant looking Bailey Shepherd followed. "Nice to see you again, Dr. Shepherd," The brunette said to Zola now, causing her resident to wrinkle her brow in confusion.

"Zola," Bailey said. "You remember Megan. Megan, you remember Zola."

Realization dawned on Zola's face now. "Megan Karev!" She said, reaching out to hug her. "Wow, you look so different! Last thing I heard you were in California!"

"LA, yeah." Megan said, nodding. "It was amazing, but Seattle will always be my home."

"Megan is on your service," Bailey interjected. For some reason, Tuck thought he looked like he was itching to get out of there. Maybe he was hoping no one would have to find out Zola and he were related? "I, however, am on Sofia's. Where is she?"

As if on cue, the orthopedic resident walked over to them, standing directly between Tuck and Zola. "Well, well, seems like I'm going to be the boss of you, Little Shepherd."

Bailey opened his mouth to retort, but that was the moment Connor approached Zola. "Dr. Avery reporting for duty. It's a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Shepherd. I look forward to working with you."

"Connor!" Megan said excitedly. It took the other intern a second to recognize her.

"Megan?" He said, in disbelief, and when she nodded he did not hesitate to pull her in for a bone-crushing hug. While Wyatt's best friend had been Bailey, Megan's had been Connor - there were times when he'd been the only friend she had. "Oh my God, it's so good to see you again! When we talked on the phone you didn't mention how utterly amazing you looked! I love what you did to your hair!"

Megan smiled and pulled away from the hug. "Thanks. I actually did nothing to it - but I guess that's kind of the point."

"Are you two done with your little love fest?" Lydia asked as she walked over, increasing the size of their group again - Tuck really wanted to tell them all to go away, but he knew he couldn't. It was clear to everyone that Lydia was in a foul mood the second they saw her, however it was rare for her to ever be in an extremely good mood anyway. "Dr. Sloan Torres, you and your interns are with me in The Pit today."

Tuck cleared his throat and tried to sound professional. "Umm, Dr. Shepherd, you and your interns can be on my service." When Zola gave him a look, he quickly added. "Uh, if that's okay with you."

Lydia resisted rolling her eyes. "If everyone's here, Dr. Sloan Torres, can we just get going?"

"Actually," Sofia responded. "I'm still waiting on one intern."

"Who?"

"Dr. Karev."

Lydia cast a look at Megan. "Girl Spawn is already here, Dr. Sloan Torres." She said, using the nickname Cristina had given Megan when she'd been born. Since Cristina had always called Alex 'Evil Spawn', that left Megan and Wyatt as 'Girl Spawn' and 'Boy Spawn', since they were his kids.

"No, Dr. Wyatt Karev." Sofia corrected. "Megan is on Zola's service."

"And, with all due respect Dr. Hunt," Megan interjected. "Since we are in a work environment I'd prefer if you referred to me as doctor, kept it professional."

"Fine," Lydia snapped. "_Dr._ Girl Spawn. Where is Dr. Boy Spawn today?"

"He's in the ER, Dr. Hunt." Bailey answered for her, while Megan made a small, disgusted sound.

"Is he?" Lydia said, eyeing him quizzically. "Well, Mini McDreamy, why do I have a feeling Dr. Boy Spawn isn't there to get ahead on seeing patients?"

Bailey rolled his eyes when she used Cristina's nickname for him too. "No, ma'am, he's not."

"Great, just great." Lydia said sarcastically. "Can we just get going?" Sofia nodded and followed, while Bailey sighed and then did too.

Tuck looked to Megan and Connor, wishing they would leave too, so he could be alone with Zola. But of course, they didn't move.

Zola turned to him now, and there was a coldness, a hardness in her eye that made him realize he wasn't forgiven. "Well, Dr. Jones," She said. "Fill us in on the patient."

* * *

><p>Wyatt stirred and covered his eyes as the curtain around his bed was thrown open, arousing him from his nap and practically blinding him with light. "Go away, Megs," He snapped without looking at who it was. "I've already been scolded enough by my sister for one day."<p>

"Yes, but you haven't been scolded by _me_." Lydia Hunt's voice snapped, causing Wyatt to suddenly become much more alert.

The intern sat up in bed, his eyes now wide open as he looked at the very angry cardio surgeon before him. "Lydia," He said, trying to be charismatic. "Hey, nice to see you again."

Lydia was not amused. "Don't try that Boy Spawn charm on me." She said. "And it's Dr. Hunt."

"So you can call me Boy Spawn but I can't call you Lydia?"

"_Yes_."

Wyatt fidgeted, and looked down at his feet. When he turned to her again, Lydia was still glaring at him. "I can't say I'm shocked," She said. "I've always known you were immature and unprofessional. You've always cared more about booze and joints than hard work -"

"Hey now, I don't do drugs, at least not anymore -"

Lydia held up a finger. "Don't interrupt me!" She snapped, which succeeded in silencing him. "Though, while you are immature and unprofessional, I thought you might actually show up to the first day of your internship ready to complete some mediocre work. But I guess I was wrong."

"I am ready to work, Dr. Hunt," Wyatt quickly assured her, even though he had the worst headache of his life at the moment, and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.

"Good," Lydia said, before tossing a binder in his direction. It hit Wyatt in the leg before he managed to grab it. "Because you're on scut."

* * *

><p>There was a loud cry from the patient, followed by a crunch, and then a snap. Bailey watched in awe as Sofia set a man's broken arm like a pro. "Wow," He said as he admired her handiwork. "That was amazing. How'd you do it so quickly?"<p>

Sofia shrugged, like it was no big deal, and took her clipboard back from Bailey as they went on to the next patient. "All in a day's work."

Bailey paused, before deciding to be bold: "Hey, do you mind if I try the next one?" In response, Sofia gave him a look, then dug around in her pocket. She pressed a ten dollar bill into Bailey's hand, causing him to look at her in confusion. "Why are you giving me this?"

"So you can get me a vanilla latte," Sofia answered. "And I mean from a real coffee shop, not the crap they serve around here." When Bailey only gawked at her, she clapped her hands. "Go on, make it snappy."

"But Dr. Sloan Torres," Bailey said. "I'm an intern. I'm here to learn."

"Yes, you are." Sofia said, switching her clipboard to her other arm. "And you just learned that I do my best work with caffeine coursing through my veins. So go get me my freaking latte."

* * *

><p>Zola silently followed Tuck to his patient's room, trying to keep her eyes focused on the back of his head as he walked. She just needed to be as professional as possible today, and then she'd be done.<p>

When they walked inside, an older man was lying in bed, reading a magazine. He smiled when he saw them. "Dr. Jones! My man!"

Tuck grinned and accepted his high-five. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Winslow." He said. "This is Dr. Shepherd and her interns, Dr. Karev and Dr. Avery. They'll be assisting me on your surgery this afternoon."

"What procedure?" Connor asked.

Tuck looked over at Zola, not at Connor, when he answered the question, delivering it like how he'd usually give a patient a fatal diagnosis. "...Hepatectomy," He said.

Zola didn't realize that she'd emitted an audible gasp until everyone was staring at her. "Is everything okay, Dr. Shepherd?" Megan asked, looking concerned. Zola didn't reply - she just looked at Tuck and then walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Zola heard Tuck calling out to her but she didn't stop. "Zola, stop!" He finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm, Zola tried to keep moving but Tuck pulled her back and spun her around, grabbing her firmly with both hands. "What is your problem?"<p>

"What is _my_ problem?!" Zola repeated in disbelief. "What is your problem, Tuck? I haven't done a hepatectomy, not in six months, not since..." She shook her head. "Not since he died, Tuck. During the hepatectomy we were performing together."

"Mr. Winslow isn't going to die, Zola." Tuck said.

"How can you make a promise like that?" Zola snapped at him, furious. "You said he was going to make it too, but he didn't! You let me into that OR, I watched as he..." She trailed off, the memory coming to mind. She remembered it all too clear. One minute, everything had been fine. He'd been responding well. And the next...

The next the heart rate monitor was going off. Someone was screaming code blue. He flatlined. And that was when she ran out of the room, so she didn't have to hear the nurse call it. Time of death, 22:40.

"I know I did," Tuck said. "It was a mistake, and I'm sorry. It was..." He trailed off, his own memory coming to mind. Zola sobbing in the scrub room, ripping her mask off her face and weeping. Him running in, trying to calm her down, holding her in his arms. His repeated line of 'It's going to be okay,' until finally he turned her face and caught her lips with his, silencing her wails but ruining their friendship in the process. Tuck shook his head now, remembering the shocked look his display of affection had been met with. "Zola, I..."

The woman cut him off, held up her hand in a 'stop' position. "You're right," She said. "It was all a mistake." She started off again, only this time, Tuck didn't follow.

* * *

><p>Zola spotted her mother easily once she walked into the hospital cafeteria. Meredith was sitting at one of the tables, engaged in a conversation with Cristina and Alex, so she didn't see Zola at first. It had been a long time since mother and daughter had last seen each other in person. Meredith had left Seattle for a while after the funeral – to travel around the country and do work for the board of directors, she'd said, but Zola knew that was really the last thing on her mind when she decided to take the trip. Zola knew her mother was trying to put on a brave face, but she was really just as distraught as she was.<p>

"Zola, honey," Meredith said, pulling her in for a hug. It felt good for Zola to be back in her mother's arms, and in that moment she wished she could turn back time, be a small little girl in her mother's lap again, completely safe from adult problems and worries.

"It's good to see you, Mom." Zola replied, sitting down next to her. She smiled at her honorary aunt and uncle across the table, and the three exchanged assorted hellos. It wasn't as warm a welcome as she gave her mom, but only because they'd just seen each other a few days before. While Meredith had been gone, Zola had found herself needing someone to talk to, and Cristina and Alex were surprisingly good listeners. Honestly, they were probably closer than ever before.

"So," Meredith said to her. "What's going on with the residents these days?"

Zola shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing much. Teaching some interns. I'm scrubbing in with Tuck this afternoon."

Meredith's face brightened. "Oh! How is Tuck lately? I haven't seen him in forever!"

Zola tried to hide how uncomfortable the question made her, but Cristina and Alex immediately noticed, sharing a discreet look between them. When Zola had confided in them, she hadn't just talked about her feelings about the death and what came after – she'd talked about Tuck too, and how he'd kissed her after the surgery. "More importantly," Cristina interjected. "What surgery is it?"

Meredith rolled her eyes, thinking this was typical Cristina behavior – all work. Normally, Zola would've mouthed 'thank you' to her, if the surgery itself didn't have painful memories for her too. "…Hepatectomy." She mumbled, so low she was surprised any of them heard it.

The expressions on the faces of the three attendings faltered. "Oh, honey." Meredith said, shaking her head. She reached out to touch Zola's hand and the younger woman grabbed hers, squeezing it tightly.

"I miss him, Mom." She said, swallowing so that the cry threatening to escape her throat stayed down. While she loved her mom and had confided in Cristina and Alex a lot in the past six months, she didn't want any of them to see her cry. Even at the funeral she hadn't shed a tear in their presence – just staring blankly at the casket as it was lowered into the ground, allowing the three of them to unravel instead.

"I miss him too," Meredith told her, pulling her daughter into her side. Cristina and Alex both looked down at the table, probably feeling like they were intruding on a private mother-daughter moment. They sat like that in silence for a minute, and so everyone was secretly glad when Bailey showed up.

"Hey," He said, looking from one of them to the other. "Why the long faces?"

Zola sat up straight, while Meredith smiled. "We're fine." She said. "Come on, give your mother a kiss, she hasn't seen you in months."

Bailey rolled his eyes but obliged, letting their mother plant a kiss to his cheek. While he acted like he was too cool for public displays of affection with his mother, Bailey had always been a mama's boy. (He'd actually put off going to kindergarten for a year because he didn't want to leave her - that was why he was in an intern class with Wyatt, Megan and Connor, even though they were all a year younger than him.)

"What are you doing today, Mini McDreamy?" Cristina asked him, after Bailey had said hello to her and Alex.

Bailey sighed, having heard that nickname numerous other times today. "Well, right now Sofia is making me get her coffee." He answered. "And I've had to hear that nickname from your daughter several times today, Aunt Cristina."

Cristina grinned, her pride evident. "That's my girl."

Bailey was about to ask if he could sit down and join them – he'd make Sofia wait for her coffee, that would teach her to use him like a personal assistant – when all of a sudden one of the last people he wanted to see walked over. "Hey, princess." He heard Alex say, and when he turned around sure enough Megan was hugging him, greeting her father with a quick kiss on the cheek. Great, just great.

Megan looked up, and her eyes locked with his as she said: "Hi everybody."

Thankfully, her attention was quickly driven elsewhere, so they didn't have to stare at each other too long. "Oh God, this cannot be Girl Spawn." Cristina said, giving Megan the onceover. "You look so…adult. Which is shocking considering your father is Alex."

Alex rolled his eyes at her. "Bite me, Yang." Cristina smiled smugly in return. The years had not changed their relationship in the slightest. They still teased each other like they were interns.

"You do look very grown up," Meredith said, in all seriousness. "How was Los Angeles?"

"Thanks," Megan replied. "And California was great. Much sunnier than Seattle, that's for sure. UCLA was amazing."

"Alex said you already had an idea in mind about your specialty," Meredith continued.

Megan nodded. "OB/GYN and neonatal surgery,"

Cristina smirked. "I bet you're thrilled about that, Evil Spawn. Your daughter – future member of the gynie squad." Alex threw a water bottle cap at her in response.

Meredith turned towards Megan and ignored them, having gotten used to the antics of her two best friends a long time ago. "What made you chose that path?"

Megan shrugged. "It just interests me. Plus, I had a great mentor."

"Oh," Meredith said, nodding. "Who?"

"Oh, it's a funny story, when we met she told me she knew Dad," Megan replied. "Her name's Addison Montgomery,"

At this, Meredith made a surprised expression, while Alex choked on whatever he was drinking and Cristina threw her head back in uncontrollable laughter. Megan looked from one of them to the other, obviously confused.

"Oh, they knew each other alright," Cristina said, once she'd gotten a hold of herself. "Right, Evil Spawn?" She gyrated her hips at him, causing Alex to look down in humiliation and Megan to cringe.

"Okay, that's disgusting." She said, shaking her head. "I mean, seriously Dad? You and Addison?"

"Addison is just the tip of the iceberg," Cristina continued. "There was Lucy from OB, Jane Doe slash Ava slash Rebecca, syph nurse," She said, ticking them off on her fingers. "There was…"

"Okay, that's enough!" Alex said, cutting her off and standing up abruptly. "I have that kid with the heart condition I need you to check out, let's go." Cristina smirked, but stood up. Alex quickly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off towards the peds ward before she could say anything else about his former conquests.

Megan sighed and rolled her eyes, sitting down in the seat Alex had vacated. Zola turned to look at Bailey, gesturing for him to take Cristina's spot. "Bailey, why don't you sit down?"

Megan looked at him expectantly, and Bailey gulped, turning his head so he didn't have to look in her eyes. Because whenever he did, he saw how she'd looked at him almost ten years ago, when he'd caught her making herself throw up. And when he thought about that day, he always wondered if he was one of the things that made her do that to herself. After all, he'd never been very nice to her.

Bailey shook his head. "No thanks." He said. "I have to give this coffee to Sofia."

"Some other time, then." Meredith said, and Bailey nodded.

"Yeah," He said, before turning around and heading out of the cafeteria. Once he'd reached the doorway, he turned around, casting one more look over his shoulder, only to find that Megan had already turned away.

* * *

><p>Connor peeked his head into the ER and looked around. He spotted Wyatt easily – he was leaning up against the nurses' station, a phone to his ear and looking annoyed. Connor took a deep breath and walked over. "Oh!" He said. "Hey Wyatt!"<p>

Wyatt looked up now, his expression not changing at all when he saw him. "Connor right?"

Connor knew he should be annoyed that after knowing each other their entire lives Wyatt still acted like he didn't remember his name – or maybe he actually didn't – but he just smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Wyatt put down the phone on the counter. "Lydia has me on scut," He explained. "I've been on hold with UNOS for the past twenty minutes." He turned back around to face Connor. "So, what's up? Are you looking for April or something?"

Somewhere in the conversation, Connor had zoned out, and he didn't realize he'd been staring until Wyatt gave him a 'well?' look. Connor shook his head. "Oh, yeah. Sure."

Wyatt nodded towards the opposite direction. "Last I saw she was over there showing someone how to do proper sutures."

Connor smiled. "Thanks." He said, and he quickly turned around and headed off – in the wrong direction if he was actually looking for April, it turned out – when Wyatt turned back around, making it clear he was done with this conversation. He walked across the ER, and peered back around to catch one last glimpse of Wyatt as he headed out.

Connor sighed, and pressed himself up against a wall where no one could see him, his hands on his chest, as if by doing so he could still the rapid beating of his heart.

* * *

><p>"Here," Sofia looked up as Bailey appeared by her side, offering her a cup of coffee with a flourish. "One vanilla latte. Can I try to set an arm now?"<p>

Sofia looked at him skeptically and took the cup. She took a sip, and Bailey watched as she swallowed it, thoughtful. "This is cold." She proclaimed, handing it back to him. "And please, you're not fooling me – I know this is from the hospital cafeteria. Try again." She turned back around, muttering an apology to her patient, while Bailey groaned.

"Please, Sofia!" Bailey said. "I –"

Sofia cut him off with a glare. "If I can't trust you to get me a coffee, I can't trust you with a patient." She snapped. "Now, try again."

Bailey sighed, and walked out again in defeat, just as Zola was walking in. "Hi," She said, but Bailey shook his head, murmuring 'whatever' as he stormed out of the room.

Zola looked to Sofia, who had finished with this patient and was heading onto the next. Zola followed. "What was that about?" She asked.

Sofia groaned and didn't answer the question. "Ugh," She said, stopping at the nurses' station. "I am having a long, long day. I need some stress relief." She picked up her tablet from where it had been charging and flipped through her contacts. "Who should it be today – Cameron the nurse from peds, or Leo the OB resident?"

"Eww," Zola said. "I am not helping you pick your booty call. That's disgusting."

Sofia shrugged, and put her tablet down. "To each their own," She said. "So, what's going on in your life?"

Zola opened her mouth to fill Sofia in, but the frantic beeping of her pager cut her off. It was Tuck. "I have to go," She told Sofia with a sigh.

"Bye," Sofia said, waving to Zola as she started off. When she was gone, Sofia looked down and scrolled through her contacts again, and her finger hovered over a name. "Hmm," She said to herself, before typing up a text. _Meet me in the on call room in 15? XOXO._

* * *

><p>Zola found Tuck waiting for her in the general surgery wing. "I got your page." She said. "What is it, Tuck?"<p>

"First, I…" The attending began. "I wanted to say I was sorry, for what happened after the surgery. And second…second, I think that if you're not emotionally able to handle this case, it would be in Mr. Winslow's best interest that you don't scrub in."

Zola gawked at him, unsure of what to say. "Are you asking me to give up this case?"

"Zola," Tuck said. "I think you are more than capable to do this procedure. You are a great surgeon. But I don't think you're ready to handle a case like this. It hits too close to home for you."

"It hits close to home for you too!"

"Yes, but not like it does for you!"

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. "Look," Tuck said slowly. "You didn't waste any time, after the funeral. You got right back into that OR, put on a smile, said everything was fine. I cared about him, I did, but he wasn't a father to me, like he was to you. But Zola, you didn't even cry. I think you need time to process your loss."

Zola felt the lump rise in her throat again, so she just shook her head, knowing that if she spoke she would be unable to control her emotions. "I'm fine." She managed to choke out, a lie she had told many times before, and she looked down, so Tuck didn't see her blink the tears away.

One of Tuck's electronic devices beeped and he picked it up, reading the message on the screen. He sighed loudly and typed up a reply. "I have to go," He told Zola. "And you should too. Zola, go home."

He turned and walked away before she could protest, not feeling fine either.

* * *

><p>The door to the scrub room burst open, and Lydia looked up from removing her surgical mask as Wyatt walked in. "Dr. Hunt!" He said excitedly.<p>

"What is it, Dr. Boy Spawn?" Lydia asked, uninterested. "Do you have my lab results?"

"Well, no –"

"I told you not to come back without those results – "

"This is better!" Wyatt said and Lydia looked at him, waiting. "I was on the phone with UNOS, and your patient – Mr. Holmes, the one in heart failure – he's at the top of the donor list. They're getting him a heart, today."

Lydia actually smiled. "That's great news, Dr. Boy Spawn." She said, removing her surgical gown.

"So?" Wyatt asked. "Do I get to go to Portland Gen with you to pick it up?"

Now, Lydia laughed, like he'd just told her the funniest joke in the world. "No."

Wyatt gave her a look. "Why not? I've been on the phone with UNOS for the past hour."

"You're an intern, Dr. Karev." Lydia said, walking towards him now that she was done scrubbing out. "I need you to stay here and wait for my lab results."

"But that's not fair!" Wyatt retorted, feeling suddenly like a little kid again who'd been deprived of his favorite toy at recess.

"I never said it was," Lydia said. "Now, can you page a resident for me?"

Wyatt scowled. "You're such a – "

"Yeah," Lydia cut him off smugly, as she brushed past him and out the door. "I know."

_Sometimes, I don't know why I decided to be a surgeon. _

* * *

><p>"Here," Bailey sighed, as he presented Sofia with another coffee cup. "Vanilla latte from Seattle's Best Coffee, with Splenda not sugar, skim milk, and no whipped cream."<p>

Sofia smiled as she took it from him. "Much better," She declared, after taking a sip. "So, Dr. Shepherd, now that you have proved yourself worthy, would you like to scrub in on a surgery tomorrow morning?"

Bailey looked at her skeptically. "Really?"

Sofia nodded. "Yes. But you're observing, not touching. And the surgery starts promptly at eight so you better not be late."

Bailey grinned. "That's fine. Thank you, Dr. Sloan Torres."

Sofia checked her phone. "I have to go, I asked someone to meet me in a couple minutes. But I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Bailey said with a nod. The ortho resident took another sip of her coffee and smiled, pleased, before walking off.

"Hey," When Bailey turned around, he spotted Megan walking towards him.

"…Headed out?" He asked. She'd changed out of her scrubs, and was now wearing jeans and a red sweater.

"Yeah, I'm going to the bar." She said, reaching him now. "You wanna come?"

Bailey shrugged. "I have a surgery with Dr. Sloan Torres in the morning."

"That's too bad," Megan said. "I hate drinking alone."

"Trust me," Bailey said, shaking his head. "You won't be drinking alone for long."

Megan blushed and looked down, laughing. "Thank you." She said.

"It's no problem," Bailey replied. He looked at her for a moment, and Megan looked back at him, cheeks flushed. "Well," He finally said. "See you tomorrow?"

Megan nodded. "Yeah, see you tomorrow." She started to walk off, and the automatic doors opened for her.

"Wait!" Bailey found himself calling out. Megan turned around and looked at him again, waiting. "Well…one drink couldn't hurt."

A smile spread across Megan's face. "I'll wait for you in the parking lot?"

Bailey nodded. "Sounds good."

_It can be really hard sometimes._

* * *

><p><em>There are days where your best efforts go unappreciated, and you want nothing more than to just collapse into a ball on the floor and break out in tears.<em>

Connor walked by the locker room, but he froze and then took two steps back to the doorway. He peered in, and sure enough, Wyatt was standing by his locker, taking off his scrub top and putting his T-shirt back on. Connor tried to hide the grin that threatened to show itself. "Hey, Wyatt."

Wyatt turned around, and Connor noticed he had a defeated expression on his face. "Connor. Hi."

He was pretty sure it was the first time he hadn't pretended to not know his name. Connor walked into the locker room, it was just the two of them in there now. "What's going on?" He asked. "I thought Lydia had that heart transplant right now."

"She does," Wyatt said. "But I'm not scrubbing in, so…"

Connor gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry," He sat down on the bench next to Wyatt, less than a hand span of space between them. Wyatt looked down, feeling dejected. "But if I was Lydia Hunt," Connor whispered to him now. "I would've chosen you."

* * *

><p><em>It's not easy. It never is.<em>

Zola didn't go home. Well, at least she didn't go to her current home. She went to her first home, the house she grew up in. She still had the key.

She didn't expect anyone to be home when she opened the door and stepped inside, but there was a light on in the kitchen. "Hey, Mer I'm – " Derek Shepherd turned when he heard the door open, and he stopped when he saw who it was. "Zola. Hi."

Zola smiled and walked inside, dropping her bag and sitting at the kitchen table like she'd done many times before. "Hi Dad," She said. "How was your fishing trip?"

"Good," He said. "The fish were really biting. I'm actually frying up some now. Want any?"

Zola shook her head. "No thanks." She said.

"You look sad, Zo." Derek said, turning back to the pan he had on the stove briefly before looking at her again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

At first, Zola was going to say 'no', but then she realized that perhaps it would be best if she filled her father in on what was going on. "Tuck and I were going to do a hepatectomy together,"

"Oh, Zo – "

"That's not the worst part," Zola interjected, and Derek looked at her, waiting for more. "…Tuck told me he didn't want me in on the surgery."

"And you listened?" Derek replied, giving her a look.

"What do you mean?" Zola asked.

"Well, you're here, aren't you?" Derek explained. "You're just going to give up and let Tuck win? That doesn't sound like you, Zo."

Zola looked down at the table. She knew what she had to do. The girl stood up from her seat and headed towards the door, picking her bag up again. She turned back to look at Derek, who was watching her proudly. "When have the Shepherds ever been ones to quit?"

* * *

><p><em>But, I don't think that's the hardest part.<em>

Bailey led Megan into Emerald City Bar. "Two beers!" He called out to the bartender. The man behind the bar nodded and got them two glasses, placing them down on the counter just as they sat down. "Thanks."

Bailey picked up his glass, and Megan followed suit. "To us," He said, and they clinked their drinks together, each taking a sip.

"Bailey?" Megan said, after she'd swallowed.

Bailey gulped down another sip of his drink. "Yeah, Megan?"

Megan looked down at her beer for a moment, hesitating. "Are we friends?" She asked, meeting Bailey's eyes.

Bailey looked at her, and she stared back at him, anticipating a response. He glanced down at his drink, ran his finger along the rim. Maybe it was time to stop letting the mistakes he made in the past affect what he did in the present. "Yeah. Of course we're friends."

* * *

><p><em>I think the hardest part is…<em>

Zola walked down the hallway of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, and she spotted a nurse going through some paperwork before going home for the night. "Hey," She called out. "Have you seen Dr. Jones?"

The nurse nodded and pointed down the hall. "He went into the on call room, resting up before his hepatectomy tonight probably."

"Thanks," Zola said, before starting off down the hallway towards the on call room. She knocked gently and then pushed open the door. She was met with a loud gasp from somewhere in the room, and there was an audible thump. Zola flicked the lights on, and then she wished she hadn't, when she saw the sight before her.

Tuck had fallen off the bed, and was now lying on the ground, face down and butt naked. On the bed, Sofia was now sitting upright, wearing nothing but a sheet and looking shocked to see Zola. "Zola!" She cried. "What are you doing here?"

Tuck looked up now, horror spreading across his face. Zola glared at him, her jaw dropped in surprise. "Zola…" He said, but she turned on her heel and stormed out before he could finish. "Zola, wait!"

She stopped and angrily turned around, to find Tuck chasing after her in nothing but a sheet. "Zola, you don't understand!" He said. "Sofia and I have been sleeping together for months, it doesn't mean anything! You were avoiding me and she offered, so I…"

There were so many things she wanted to say – _You pursued me. It just wasn't a good time. This is confusing for me. I kissed you back, remember? - _but she couldn't get herself to speak any of them. "Our surgery is in twenty minutes," Zola said. "I am scrubbing in, and we're going to save this man's life, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Be ready." She didn't wait for Tuck to respond, she just turned on her heel and walked away.

…_acting like you're okay when you're not. That's the hardest part._

* * *

><p>"So," Zola said. "You're probably wondering what my point is. Trust me, I'm getting there." She shifted in her spot on the ground, crossing her legs. "We saved that patient's life. And it was amazing. That's why I'm a surgeon. I have the potential to save so many people, so many lives…"<p>

Zola looked down, wrung out her hands. "If only I could've saved you." She smiled sadly, and for the first time, when the tears pricked her eyes she let them fall. She placed the flowers she had picked up on her way here from the hospital in front of the tombstone, arranged them so they didn't cover up the words etched in the marble. "I wish you were here."

**Richard Webber**

"**The Chief"**

**1954 – 2040**

* * *

><p><strong>AN (again)**: Hope you enjoyed this! This is AU after the mid-season finale, in case you didn't notice. I kept Cristina around because I love Crowen, and I wrote out Arizona because I've never been a fan of her. I had plans for her to have left with Leah before she went back to Callie in canon, so I kept it mostly that way, but edited a few things. (I hope this doesn't turn any of you off from this story, because trust me, while I don't like Arizona I would give her and Sofia some more closure at some point.) And yes, Richard is dead (RIP), not only to add drama but because (assuming Richard and James Pickens Jr are the same age), he would be 86 by 2040. It pains me to kill him off, but it had to be done.

Review if you are interested in more! Thanks!


	2. A Drop In The Ocean

**A/N**: I'm glad some people like this story! Here is another chapter/episode/whatever you want to call it. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to review with your thoughts or some constructive criticism. And again, I will take into consideration what you want to happen. This is a lot shorter than the last one, but the second chapter is always the hardest for me. Enjoy!

From now on, each chapter will take its title from a song, like on Grey's. This one is after "A Drop In The Ocean," by Ron Pope.

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own the show. It's really sad, I know.

* * *

><p><em>They say grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves.<em>

"I can't stay long today," Zola said. "I have rounds." She adjusted the flowers in front of Richard's grave, so that the ones that were beginning to wither were in the back. She looked at the small photo of him on the tombstone, and it looked back at her. "So, I guess you want to know more on the Tuck-Sofia thing, right?" Richard's photo stared back at her blankly.

Zola sighed. "When Tuck kissed me, I freaked." She said. "But it wasn't because I wasn't into him - I mean, I think it wasn't. I like Tuck, a lot, and I'd be lucky to have him as my boyfriend. His timing was just off, you know? And for the first six months I was too worried about being strong for everyone...so I just ignored him. I didn't feel like I was in the right place emotionally to talk to him about what had happened. So I mean, I guess I can't really blame him for hooking up with Sofia, and I can't really blame Sofia either because I never told her about Tuck kissing me. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt. You know what I'm saying?"

She looked at the portrait of Richard's face, staring at the smaller versions of his eyes, the miniature form of his facial structure. Sometimes it was still hard for her to believe that this man who she'd viewed as a mentor, a friend, even the grandfather she'd never had, was in the ground.

She'd thought that over time it would become more real to her. But it didn't, not at all.

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes it may look like a calm sea, but then a new wave comes and hits you out of nowhere. Knocking you down, enveloping you in the cold, dark water.<em>

Lydia stood outside the window, watching in anticipation as the board sat down in one of the conference rooms. Her father stood off to the side, out of the way but still present. Jackson stood at the head of the table, with Derek seated on his one side and Callie on the other. Meredith was next to her husband, and Cristina was next to Callie. Alex was there too, on Meredith's left, because when Arizona had left the hospital they hadn't just given him her spot as Chief of Pediatrics but also asked him to fill the void on the board of directors so they'd have their seventh. This way, the board was still complete and well-rounded. There was someone from each of the seven main surgical specialties - if you counted Owen, since he was a trauma surgeon in addition to being Chief. Plus there wouldn't be any ties on their votes.

"Alright," Jackson said, to start their meeting. "I've called you all here today because Dr. Grey has a proposition for all of you. Meredith?"

Lydia watched in anticipation as the general surgeon took Jackson's spot up front. "Thank you, Dr. Avery." She said. "Well, as you know that our general surgery department has fallen behind for routine procedures in the past several years, due to our decision to get ahead on radical surgeries and clinical trials in the other specialties." She held up a folder, and pulled out six sheets of paper, passing them around to the other board members. "So, I propose we start a new general surgery wing of the hospital, to focus on basic care. The board will only have to give a couple thousand to purchase new machinery that I believe would benefit Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital greatly - other than that what we currently have will do just fine." Meredith looked down, pausing before continuing. "And, I propose that we name the new wing of the hospital in honor of the late Dr. Richard Webber, who we lost to liver cancer six months ago."

Jackson smiled sympathetically at her, and stood up again, taking her side. "Everyone in favor, say I."

Seven I's immediately began to ring out. It was an easy and unanimous vote. Lydia was considering asking to go inside and listen in, when all of a sudden her father spotted her outside. Owen silently slipped away from the group and left the room, closing the door behind him and joining his daughter in the hallway. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Lydia shrugged. "I was wondering if I could listen in on the board meeting,"

"Lyd," Her dad said. "Trust me - someday you'll be leading these board meetings..." Lydia couldn't help but grin. "...But today I need you elsewhere." Her grin immediately faltered.

"But..." Lydia stammered. "But why?"

"Weren't you assigned to do the intern appy yesterday?"

Lydia sighed. "Yes, but -"

"No but's," Owen cut her off. "This should've been done yesterday, Lyd. I need you to do the intern appy as soon as possible."

"But I'm a cardio surgeon!" Lydia protested.

"Even the best cardio surgeons have been in charge of the appy at one point or another," Owen said, and it was clear that was the end of the conversation when he turned around and walked back into the room.

Lydia sighed. Her father never said no to her - but it seemed like lately that was all he did.

* * *

><p><em>At first, it's okay for you to fall down. You're new at this, just learning how to doggie paddle. It happens. But after a while, they expect you to swim.<em>

When Bailey walked out of surgery, he found Megan standing outside the OR, waiting for him. "Hey, champ." She said with a smile, offering him a cup of coffee, identical to the one in her other hand.

"That was amazing," He said, taking the cup from her and sipping it. "Today, Sofia actually let me hold the clamp."

"That's awesome," Megan said, and the two of them started walking down the hallway together. "Dr. Jones let me in on this cool colon surgery last night. Normally general surgery isn't my thing, but it was awesome."

"That's cool, that he let you observe." Bailey remarked.

"Oh, I didn't just observe. He let me close."

Megan took a sip of her coffee like it was nothing, while Bailey turned to her, gawking. "He let you close?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but they were cut off by Wyatt, who approached them, shoving his way in between the two. "Ugh," He groaned. "I swear, Lydia is out to get me!"

Megan made an over-exaggerated sad face at him. "Aww, you poor baby, stuck on Lydia's scut."

Wyatt glared at her playfully. "Who are you calling baby, little sis?"

"Oh shut up," Megan said, annoyed. "You are only fifteen minutes older than me!"

"Doesn't matter if it's fifteen minutes or fifteen years, little sis." Wyatt replied smugly. "Older is still older."

They reached the cafeteria and sat down, and Bailey sipped his coffee silently while Megan and Wyatt continued to engage in sibling banter. "Hey, guys." Connor said, dragging a chair over to their table and separating Bailey and Megan for a second time. "What's up?"

"Wyatt's bitching about Lydia," Bailey said.

"Hey," Wyatt snapped. "I've listened to you whine about many girls over the years. Give me this one." Next to him, Megan rolled her eyes.

"Uh-oh," Connor whispered to them. "Speak of the She-Devil and she shall appear." He discreetly nodded towards the entrance to the cafeteria, and the other three interns turned to look, spotting Lydia walking in - towards _them_.

"Oh God," Wyatt groaned. "What does she want now?"

"Hello, interns." Lydia said, once she'd reached the end of their table. It was obvious from how tense and uncomfortable she looked that this was not her usual scene. "It's been brought to my attention that I have been assigned to oversee the appy this year. And, despite my best efforts to avoid it, I have been told that I cannot put this off any longer." She turned to Wyatt now, and hesitantly touched his shoulder. "So, congratulations Dr. Karev, you'll be scrubbing in." Lydia retracted her hand just as quickly as she'd placed it there, and ran it down her pant leg as if Wyatt might give her germs. "That is all. Good day."

Bailey, Megan and Connor stared wide-eyed at Lydia's retreating form. They then all simultaneously turned to Wyatt, who was looking straight ahead, in shock. "So," Bailey said. "What were you saying?"

* * *

><p>Zola pulled her lab coat on as she made her way down the general surgery wing. Her visit to Richard's grave had gone a little longer than she'd planned. "Excuse me, pardon me!" She said as she elbowed past doctors and nurses to get to her destination. "Sorry! Excuse me!"<p>

Panting, she finally reached where she was supposed to meet her interns for rounds. Megan was sitting in a chair, crossed legged and daintily drinking her coffee. Connor was next to her, quietly thumbing through a little notebook. They both looked up when they saw their resident, looking at her in anticipation for whatever she was going to say. "We'll check on the liver patient Dr. Jones and I treated last night," She told them. Maybe if they hurried she'd be able to beat Tuck there.

The interns nodded and followed her loyally. "Remember rule five - when I move, you move." Zola told them, before picking up her pace. Megan and Connor followed suit, close at her heels like good little interns the whole way to Mr. Winslow's room.

Inside, she found the older man sitting up in bed. He grinned when he saw them, while behind her she could hear Megan and Connor struggle to catch their breath. "Dr. Shepherd, my favorite lady!" Mr. Winslow said. "I feel good as new!"

Zola opened her mouth to ask Mr. Winslow some more questions, but before she could, her gaze caught the other people in the room. Tuck and Sofia looked up, and stared at her, expectantly. "Zola - " They both began at the same time, but suddenly she was filled with panic and found herself running off in the other direction before they could say any more.

Tuck and Sofia both looked defeated, while Megan and Connor shared a tired look before running after Zola again.

_So what do you do when you can't?_

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**

* * *

><p>"Zola!" Sofia yelled out. "Zola, wait!" Zola didn't stop, but Sofia was in pretty good shape, and had no problem catching up to her. She couldn't escape her. "Zola, stop it!"<p>

Zola was forced to turn around when she felt Sofia grab her by the arm. She halted, Sofia's grip never faltering. Megan and Connor finally stopped chasing after her, both of them panting so hard by this point they looked more like patients than doctors. Zola sighed, glancing from one of them to the other. "Megan, do the rest of my rounds." She ordered. "Connor, go to the skills lab, see if you can learn something." They both nodded, too out of breath to speak, and hobbled off towards their respective destinations.

Zola turned back to Sofia now, waiting for what she had to say. "Tuck and I thought it would be best if I came to talk to you." Sofia explained.

"Oh, so it's 'Tuck and I' now?" It sounded like it should be something she said bitchily, but it came out sounding more hurt.

Sofia sighed. "Tuck and I are not an item, and I never would've pursued him if I knew that he kissed you after Dr. Webber's surgery."

Zola looked down. "He told you about that?"

Sofia hesitated, then nodded. "He kind of had too." She said. "Zola, you're my best friend, I didn't know you had feelings for Tuck. If I had I would've backed off."

"Well, I didn't really know I had feelings for him either," Zola said with a shrug.

"There won't be any hard feelings right?" Zola opened her mouth to tell her yes, but then she realized Sofia wasn't done speaking. "When he chooses one of us?"

"Chooses one of us?" Zola said, looking at Sofia quizzically. "What's that supposed to mean? I thought you said you were backing off."

"I said I would've backed off." Sofia said. "Past tense. I like Tuck, Zola - what, I'm supposed to just drop him because you called dibs?"

"Sofia," Zola said softly. "Please, I need a chance to make things right with Tuck. This is so much more than just sex to me..."

Sofia gawked at her. "Are you implying that this is just sex to me?" She asked. Zola looked down, unable to respond. Sofia laughed, though not because it was funny. "Oh yeah, cause I'm just the slut who sleeps with anything that moves."

"Sof," Zola said. "I never said that..."

"You just thought it, right?" Sofia snapped.

"Of course not!" Zola said, getting defensive. "Sofia, you're my _best friend_! I have never judged you about who you sleep with. I know that life's been hard for you, and your father..."

"Do not talk about my dad, _ever_!" Sofia said, raising her voice. Suddenly, it went silent in the general surgery wing. Everyone was staring at them now. Zola didn't know what to say. "Sorry," She mumbled, before brushing past Sofia and walking away.

* * *

><p>When Connor walked into the skills lab, he saw Wyatt instantly - and he hadn't even been trying to find him this time. "Wow, I'm just running into you everywhere!" Connor said, approaching him.<p>

"Connor, right?" Wyatt said, not looking up from whatever he was doing.

_And we're back to this._ Connor thought, but out loud he said: "Yeah, what are you doing?" He looked down at the model sprawled out on the table.

"Practicing for the appy," Wyatt told him, still not looking up from his fast moving hands. "I have to blow Lydia Hunt the Hell away..." He cussed under his breath, and pulled his hands away from the model, dropping his tools so quickly they fell into the fake body cavity. "Dammit. Snapped the purse strings."

Connor pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him. "What do you do now?"

Wyatt looked at him, confused. "What?"

"So, you snapped the purse strings," Connor said. "How do you fix it?"

Wyatt shrugged his shoulders. "Use suction, and look for the purse strings?"

Connor smiled. "Good," He praised. "Now, do it. And hurry - your patient is bleeding out."

Wyatt looked from the model sprawled out on the table to Connor and back again. He sighed. "...Clamp, please, Dr. Avery."

* * *

><p>Megan was in the middle of filling out some paperwork when Bailey appeared next to her, placing a Styrofoam cup down next to her head. She looked up. "What's this?" She asked.<p>

"It's coffee." Bailey said. "Hazelnut, whole milk, one sugar, just how you like it." Megan took her first sip, and she nodded in approval. "All Sofia does is make me get her coffee, so I figured I'd repay you for this morning."

Megan smiled. "Bailey, that's so nice. Thank you. Sorry I don't really have time to drink it though." She handed the cup back to Bailey and tucked her clipboard under her arm, starting off.

Bailey followed her, not done with the conversation. "What do you mean you don't have time?" He asked.

"Oh," Megan said, noticing Bailey was still following her. "I'm scrubbing in on a C-section."

"You're scrubbing in twice in one day?" Bailey repeated, shocked and in awe.

Megan nodded. "Uh-huh. Have you ever seen a C before? I could probably get you into the gallery..."

Bailey shook his head, not listening. "God, you're scrubbing in twice in one day..."

Megan laughed. "It's not a big deal, Bailey."

"Maybe not to you!" Bailey said. "All I've done is gotten Sofia coffee and watched a few procedures! You're...you're like a real doctor."

"Well, so are you." Megan replied. "It may not feel like it, but you are. Even if you're just getting coffee."

They arrived at the OR now, and Megan stopped outside the door, probably waiting for Bailey's response so she could get in there. "I can't believe..." Bailey repeated. "You...you..."

Megan smirked. "Are you jealous?" She teased.

"Very." Bailey admitted. "Even if it's just a C."

"Don't dismiss it," Megan said. "People say that OB/GYN isn't cool, but honestly none of them have any idea what it's all about. If you ask me, OB is as hardcore as it gets."

The door to the OR opened, and a thirty-something year old woman stuck her head out. "Ah, Dr. Karev, you're here. Ready to begin?"

Megan looked from the OB to Bailey. "Actually, Dr. Ford," She said. "I just received an emergency page. But Dr. Shepherd will be happy to scrub in with you."

Bailey gave her a wide-eyed look, but Dr. Ford had already turned to him. "Yes, Dr. Shepherd." She said. "I'd love to have you. Have you ever scrubbed in on a Caesarian section before?"

Bailey looked again to Megan, who nodded reassuringly. He turned back to the other doctor. "No, Doctor, I haven't."

Dr. Ford smiled. "Well, perhaps I'll show you how to make the incision."

Bailey copied her facial expression. "Thank you, Dr. Ford."

"We'll start in five minutes," The OB said, and Bailey nodded as she ducked back into the scrub room.

"Why did you do that?" Bailey asked Megan as soon as she was out of earshot.

Megan shrugged. "I did a bunch of C-sections when I training was in LA, it's nothing new to me. Plus, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Oh, right." Bailey said. "We're friends now aren't we..."

Megan gave him a look. "What - you don't want to be friends with me?" She teased.

"Oh, no, that's not it." Bailey assured her, feeling embarrassed that he'd actually said that last statement out loud. "It's just...different. I've never really had someone like you as my friend."

"Well, I've never had someone like you as my friend either," Megan said.

Bailey nodded. "But I like it." He added.

"Why?" Megan asked, smiling. "Cause of the coffee and free surgeries?"

"Well, they're just C-sections." Bailey joked, and they both laughed. "But, in all seriousness, thank you though."

"It's no problem," Megan said. "You go kick some ass in there, Shepherd."

Bailey smiled at her, and walked into the OR.

* * *

><p>Sofia was in the middle of visiting patients when she saw Tuck walking over to her. She smiled instinctively. "Hey," She said, approaching him and putting her hands on his chest in a flirty way. "I'm kinda busy right now, but if you want to wait for me in the on call room..."<p>

"Sofia." Tuck cut her off, and the ortho resident looked up to meet his eyes, her expression faltering. "We need to talk."

Sofia shrugged, and tried to smile. "We can talk after..."

"Sofia." Tuck said again, in a voice that showed he meant business. Sofia frowned, staring up at him. "What did you say to Zola?"

Admittedly, the comment stung. _Of course he came here to talk about Zola. Zola gets everything._ "Nothing."

"That's crap, Sofia."

She looked down, retracting her hands and counting the tiles on the floor, to buy herself time. "I just told her I wasn't going to give you up so easily." Sofia said, looking up at Tuck again. "Tuck, I'm willing to fight for you. Don't you understand?"

"Fight for me?" Tuck repeated. "So you two are just going to argue over who gets me like I'm the TV remote or a pair of shoes that are on sale?"

"Tuck, no -"

"What did you mean, then?"

Sofia shrugged. "You know I care about you, Tuck." She said. "More than I've ever cared about anyone." She was met only with a blank stare, and so she turned around and walked away.

* * *

><p>Connor had been crazy about Wyatt for as long as he could remember.<p>

Even when they were children, he'd been captivated by the other boy, always trying to get Wyatt to play with Megan and him, asking his sister all about him when he'd say no and leave. Yeah, Wyatt wasn't the nicest to him sometimes, but there was just..._something_ about him that made Connor infatuated. He'd carried the crush with him his whole life - he knew it was crazy, (he wasn't some sort of predatory gay, or something) but Connor couldn't help but hold onto the hope that someday things would turn around for him. So, if that meant putting up with Wyatt forgetting his name and helping him practice for the appy when he could be trying to scrub in on his own surgeries, fine. He'd do anything it took.

Connor hurried out of the skills lab, loading up on extra tools. He wanted Wyatt to be as prepared as he possibly could. He filled his arms with as many items as he could grab, even things he knew they probably wouldn't need, because in Connor's eyes Wyatt deserved the best. He was about to walk back in, stuff in hand, when he heard something, someone saying Wyatt's name.

Connor looked over, and a group of interns were clustered together by the nurses' station. "...there's no way he'll pull it off," The voice finished, and his friends snickered.

"Did you know he went to state school?" Another one of the interns said with disgust. "Oh please."

Connor's blood practically boiled when he heard their comments. So much that he momentarily forgot that he didn't like confrontation and marched over there. The intern who had made the state school comment eyed him. "Avery, right?"

Connor didn't answer his question. "Do you have no shame?" He snapped at them. "Wyatt Karev is one of us! You're all just bitter because Lydia Hunt picked him for the appy instead of you!"

The four other guys shared looks, and then burst out laughing. "Yeah, of course we're bitter." A third one said. "Because some moron got picked for the first solo surgery when he probably can't even ID the appendix!"

"If Dr. Hunt had half a brain she would've picked Tom," The fourth intern said, looking to state school boy again. "Did you know he was in the top ten of his class at Cornell, Dr. Avery?"

Connor snorted in disgust. "You're a pig," He said. "You think because Mommy and Daddy's trust fund got you into a good college you're better than everyone else. Well newsflash, some people actually have to work for their success."

"Like you?" The third intern whispered sarcastically to the fourth, but he said it a little too loudly, and Connor heard him, loud and clear.

Tom and the first intern laughed out loud, and Connor glared at them. "Yes, like me." He said. "People like me and Dr. Karev, we may have families with big names but that doesn't mean we have less talent than any of you. University of Washington may not be as good as Cornell in your eyes, but it is considered one of the Public Ivies, and Wyatt got accepted without having to wave a hundred in front of someone's face. And I, I work my ass off every day, I don't act like I'm all high and mighty because my surname is Avery. I got accepted into this program because of my own merits." He paused. "But just for your information, you're lucky I don't tell my old family friend, The Chief of Surgery, about your behavior today. I don't think he would like that." The three men whose names he didn't know gawked at Connor now, suddenly silenced. No one wanted to get into trouble with The Chief. "Oh, and by the way, Tom." Connor added with disgust, getting up in Tom's face and whispering the words harshly towards him. "I went to Yale, early admission. _First_ in my class."

* * *

><p>The door to OR 2 burst open and Meredith looked up from the open body cavity on the table. Her daughter was standing there, holding a surgical mask up to her face. The older woman emitted a sigh. "Yes, Dr. Shepherd?"<p>

"Mom," Zola said. "I need your advice on something."

Meredith looked at her, waiting. The other people in the OR were looking at her now too, the scrub nurse and the anesthesiologist and the intern. "So...I had a surgery with Dr. Jones," Zola explained. "And it was a great surgery - a really, _really_ great surgery. But, the timing of the surgery wasn't right. So Dr. Sloan Torres asked Dr. Jones to scrub in on a surgery and he said yes, because now he wasn't doing a surgery with me. And Dr. Sloan Torres...well, she got to make the incision while I just held the retractor. And now, I realized I want to do surgeries with Dr. Jones, I really want to make the incision, but I can't because Dr. Sloan Torres is doing surgeries with Dr. Jones, and only one of us can."

Meredith gave Zola a look. "And?"

"Well, what do I do?" Zola asked. "I want to do surgeries with Dr. Jones, but I don't want to ruin my friendship with Dr. Sloan Torres either." She raised an eyebrow at her mother.

Meredith sighed underneath her surgical mask and put down her scalpel. "Well, Dr. Shepherd..." She said. "Your friendship with Dr. Sloan Torres is not worth losing over...over a surgery. So, I think that if you can't make it work with her, it's best not to scrub in with Dr. Jones." Zola nodded, but her disappointment at the answer was evident. "Well," Meredith added. "If this is a really, really good surgery...I'm sure Sofia will understand."

Zola grinned under the surgical mask. "Thank you, Dr. Grey. Now, I have to go find Dr. Jones." She quickly excused herself, disposing of the surgical mask and walking out the automatic doors.

Meredith looked down again, moving in to finish what she started. Her intern leaned forward. "I thought Dr. Sloan Torres was an ortho resident?"

Meredith glared at her. "You're blocking my view of the body cavity. Now, scalpel."

* * *

><p><em>After a loss, you mourn for a little while, but then there comes a time when you are expected to move on with your life.<em>

Zola walked into the OR gallery, where interns and attendings alike had gathered to watch the intern appy. She saw her brother sitting with Connor and Megan in the front row, watched as Wyatt and Lydia walked into the OR fully scrubbed. There was a hoot and a holler from the interns.

"Fifteen bucks says he snaps the purse strings." One of the interns said.

"Twenty says Dr. Hunt has to take over." His buddy chimed in.

"I'll bet fifty that he can't even ID the appendix," One of the interns - Tom, from earlier - said, earning him death glares from Connor and Megan.

"I'll match your fifty and say he pulls the whole thing off." Zola found herself saying. All the interns looked to her - their superiors never joined in on their bets.

Tom scoffed. "You're on."

Zola rolled her eyes and brushed past him. She found Tuck standing at the opposite end of the gallery, where he'd be out of the way. "You really think he'll do it?" Tuck asked. "They say no one ever does."

"I really do," Zola affirmed, watching Wyatt and Lydia as they began the procedure. Some of the interns groaned when they say Wyatt had successfully made the first incision, retracting their bets. "Do you?"

Tuck nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. "Yeah."

They watched in silence for a second as Lydia barked orders. "Look..." Zola finally said, because she didn't come here to talk about appy's. "I know you're not keen on the idea of two girls fighting over you," She said. "But I don't give up that easy."

Tuck looked at her. "Don't ruin your friendship over me," He said. "I'm not worth it, Shep."

Zola smiled. "I won't," She said. "I promise."

Tuck looked down into the OR again. "Tell me what happens," He said, before turning around and walking out.

* * *

><p><em>It can be hard, and at first, it may feel like you're just going through the motions.<em>

Lydia looked up from the patient on the table, staring at the people in the gallery. Her father was there, watching from the back. She was going to give him a little wave when someone's comment cut her off. "That should be me down there," Lydia looked up, easily spotting the interns Connor had ran into earlier. The one called Tom was sulking.

"Dr. Hunt is stupid for not picking you," One of his friends said.

"Well, obviously she's not very bright in general." Tom said. "I mean, come on - she's a cardio surgeon who was saddled with the intern appy. No one thinks highly of her. She's the dud."

Wyatt looked up, seeing the fury on Lydia's face. Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair. How could they be saying this about her? In front of her dad? Oh, she'd make them pay... "Don't stop," Lydia told Wyatt, not tearing her eyes away from the gallery. "I'll handle this."

Wyatt looked back down at the patient while Lydia stormed over to the intercom. "That little light?" She said to Tom and company, who all froze when they saw she was addressing them. "That means the intercom is on." She saw Tom gulp, and Owen discreetly smile. "I want you the Hell out of my OR. Who are you calling the dud now?"

* * *

><p><em>But eventually, after you've moved your arms and kicked your legs enough times, you begin to learn it.<em>

"The appendix is out," Megan narrated, her eyes watching her brother's every movements. Connor sat next to her, his leg nervously jumping up and down.

Bailey let out a sigh of relief. "Yes! He didn't snap the purse strings!"

Megan grinned. "Oh, you go Wyatt."

A smile spread across Connor's face as Wyatt looked up at the gallery for a spilt second. He swore the two of them locked eyes.

_Eventually, it becomes second nature for you to swim when you're in the water. You'll start to find it hard to believe there was a time when you didn't._

Suddenly, Bailey and Megan stood up, pressing their faces up against the glass. "What?" Connor asked, frantic. "What's happening?"

"Oh my God," Bailey breathed, ignoring his question. "I can't believe this."

Connor looked to Megan, worried for what she would tell him. She turned around, her eyes wide and jaw dropped. "Connor..." She said, in shock. "He actually pulled it off."

* * *

><p><em>Grief may be like an ocean...<em>

Zola smiled and clapped along with everyone else as Wyatt singlehandedly finished the appy. "So he did it?"

She jumped a little, caught off guard by Sofia's sudden appearance. "God, Sof," She breathed. "You scared me."

Sofia smiled, looking into the OR. "Would you believe me if I said I knew Wyatt had it in him? I mean, he's an idiot sometimes sure...but for some reason I had a feeling he would pull it off."

Zola smiled a little. "Me too." They were silent for a minute before they both said the same thing at the same time: "I'm sorry."

Zola spoke first. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," She said. "I don't think you're a slut, and I shouldn't have brought up your dad. I was in the wrong."

"So was I," Sofia added. "I accused you, I put words in your mouth. I'm sorry. You know I love you, Zo."

"I love you too, Sofia." The two best friends hugged, pulling each other in for a quick embrace.

"So...what happens now?" Sofia asked. "How do we solve this?"

Zola knew she meant what they did about Tuck. "We're both mature women," She said. "We can both have feelings for Tuck and not let it divide us. We've been friends for too long to let a boy ruin us."

Sofia smiled faintly. "Do you really think we can still be friends if we both like Tuck?"

Zola shrugged. "I think we can both move forward."

_...but that doesn't mean you have to drown in it._

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**


	3. The Boy Is Mine

**A/N**: First, yes I did change my penname! Still me though.

Second, thank you all for your continued support! I love hearing about your favorite characters, moments and scenes, so keep telling me what you think! Again, knowing what you guys like the best is helpful in making even more enjoyable episodes in the future.

**Disclaimer**: While you guys have given me some amazing praise about how this feels like a real episode and I know the characters well (thanks for that, by the way), I regret to inform you I am _not_ secretly Shonda Rhimes. Though wouldn't that be cool...

* * *

><p>He felt like a million eyes were on him. Everyone was openly staring as he walked down the hallway. People whispered. Guys looked jealous. Girls twirled their hair and blew kisses at him.<p>

_We all want to be the best. _

Wyatt couldn't contain his grin. It was kind of like he was back in high school again, when all the girls wanted him, and all the guys wanted to be him, but only this was better, because now everyone saw him as a kick-ass surgeon on top of it. This was it. This was the life.

_Surgeons practically have competitive nature embedded into our DNA. We are all a little cocky, a little overeager. _

Now, as Wyatt reached the nurses' station, his adoration did not stop. "Hi there, Doctor." One of the nurses said. She leaned forward, allowing her scrub top to slip a little farther down her ample chest. "Any surgeries for today?"

Wyatt smiled back at her. She was reasonably attractive - probably a few years older than him, but definitely not bad looking. "I haven't decided who to take yet." He said coolly. "You know - everyone wants me after I did the intern appy. General surgery, neuro, plastics -"

"I'm in plastics," Another nurse chimed in. She practically shoved the first one out of the way, trying to get Wyatt's full attention. Wyatt tried to hide his grin - she was even hotter than the first. "You should come with."

Wyatt shrugged, acting casual. "Hmm, maybe I will." The second nurse smiled, while the first made a face. Suddenly, a binder was slapped down next to him, and the sound was loud in his ear. He momentarily lost his cool when the sound echoed all around them.

_An edge can be good, it pushes you, but it can also be dangerous. _

Lydia smiled coyly. "Dr. Karev can't come with you today," She said to the nurse, without tearing her eyes away from Wyatt. "He's on my service."

Wyatt looked at Lydia wide-eyed, while both of the nurses sighed. Lydia picked her stuff back up and grabbed Wyatt by the arm, dragging him away. "Fan club?" She asked with disgust.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Jealous?" He asked.

Lydia scoffed at this. "Oh, totally." She said sarcastically. Once she deemed they were far enough away, she let Wyatt go, planting him firmly up against a wall. "You are _so_ out of line." She snapped now.

"Am I really?" Wyatt asked, unfazed. "I'm _the_ intern to watch, Lydia. No one ever succeeds on the appy."

"Some people do - " Lydia began, but Wyatt didn't let her finish.

"Really?" Wyatt asked again. "Because, in Zola and Sofia's class the intern failed. And in my father's. My own mother couldn't do the appy when she was an intern. And - so I heard - neither could you." He smiled at Lydia's look of horror. "Nice seeing you again, Lydia." He said, before walking back off towards the nurses.

_Sometimes, our own competitive nature can hurt someone else. _

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**

"Hey," Sofia said as she sat down next to Zola in the skills lab. She was perky this morning since she'd already had her coffee. "How's it going?"

"Good," Zola said, not looking up from her work.

Sofia looked at her curiously. "What are you practicing?"

"Oh," Zola said. "Just something for a surgery I'm doing with Tuck this afternoon."

Sofia's face faltered, but she tried to hide it. "Oh, that's nice." She paused. "What surgery?"

Zola looked at her, as if contemplating her response. "We're trying a new twist on bariatric surgery. We're testing out one of the robots for a less invasive approach. Less incisions and shorter recovery time."

"Really?" Sofia said, in awe. "Wow, I've never seen one. Do you think you could get me in?"

Zola looked down. "I don't know," She said. "You'd have to ask Tuck. Sorry."

"Oh, it's okay," Sofia said, nodding. "I totally understand..." She trailed off. Despite their best efforts, there was definitely an uncomfortable vibe in the room right now.

For once, Zola and Sofia were actually overjoyed when Connor walked in. Normally they hated being interrupted by interns but today his timing was perfect. "Dr. Shepherd," He said. "I checked on all your post-ops. Anything else I can do for you?"

Zola shook her head at him. "Thank you, Connor, good work. You can scrub in with Dr. Jones and me this afternoon, if you'd like."

Connor smiled. "Of course! I'd love to!"

"Great," Zola said. "Oh, and if you see Wyatt, tell him we'd love to have him too, since he did so well on the appy. Provided it's okay with Dr. Sloan Torres, of course." She turned to Sofia, who was gawking at her.

Sofia swallowed. "Umm...yeah, sure. It's fine." Connor thanked Zola and walked out of the room.

Zola turned back to Sofia again. "Are you okay? You look upset or something."

"It's just..." Sofia said. "I know it sounds stupid, but I asked to just get into the OR, and you say I have to ask Tuck, but then you go and invite Connor and Wyatt to scrub in literally two minutes later."

"Sof," Zola said with a sigh. "Connor and Wyatt are interns, it's my job to teach them. You're a resident, and your speciality is ortho. It's nothing personal. Right?"

Sofia looked down. "Right." She mumbled.

* * *

><p>When Bailey walked out of the intern locker room, he almost jumped when all of a sudden he saw Megan waiting for him. "Oh, hi." He said. Megan looked up from her phone when he spoke up. "Didn't expect to see you. Shouldn't you be on Zola's service right now?"<p>

"I was waiting for you," She said. "Dr. Ford was so impressed by your performance is that C-section yesterday, she requested that both of us work with her today."

"Oh, alright." Bailey said, walking over to join her. Megan was right - yesterday had been surprisingly action packed.

"You want some coffee?" Megan asked, interrupting his thoughts. She paused, thinking of his order in her head. "Dark roast, half and half, two sugars?"

Bailey smiled at her. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

><p>Connor found Wyatt waiting for lab results, the female tech leaning over the counter to be closer to him, while an intern was practically hanging off of him. "Wyatt!" Connor called out, and the heads of the two women snapped up instantly. Connor felt a little scared when he saw the death glares they gave him.<p>

"It's okay, ladies." Wyatt said to them, unfazed. "Connor's just a big fan of my work." They both laughed, while Connor gave him a look. A fan of his work?

"Can't blame him," The intern said, running her fingers up and down Wyatt's chest. "You were a superstar in that OR, Wyatt."

"Yeah," The lab tech interjected. "Wyatt's the best!" She forced a laugh, while the intern tried to hide her eye roll.

"So," Connor interrupted. "Dr. Shepherd wants to know if you're interested in scrubbing in on her surgery with Dr. Jones this afternoon."

Wyatt shrugged. "Sorry, dude, I'm already on a case." He looked to the women. "Everyone wants me. It's exhausting, really." They laughed again, even though Connor didn't know what was so funny.

"Wyatt," Connor said. "Can I see you for a minute? Alone?" Wyatt opened his mouth to object, but Connor grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away before he could speak.

"What the Hell?" Wyatt said, yanking his arm away. "I was actually waiting for some labs."

Connor rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure one of your adoring _fans_ will get them for you."

"Oh come on, Connor." Wyatt said. "It's nothing personal. Just keeping up appearances, is all."

"Really?" Connor said. "Because it seems like you think you're too good for your real friends anymore."

Wyatt sighed. "Connor," He began gently. "I really appreciated you helping me out, honestly I did. But you and I aren't friends. We never have been, and we probably never will be. We should just admit that to ourselves right now. It's like we're in two totally different worlds. I'm that guy who did the appy and you're..."

"The guy who was stupid enough to help you?" Connor cut him off.

"I wasn't going to say that..." Wyatt started to explain.

"Oh, save it." Connor snapped. "I helped you, Wyatt. You would've snapped the purse strings and made a complete fool of yourself if it wasn't for me. I saved your ass! I helped you and I stood up for you and...and you never even thanked me! Is that too much to ask, for just some simple recognition, or am I just another person to fawn over you? Am I really worth that little to you Wyatt? Because after all these years that I've dealt with your attitude I'm kind of sick of it. No, _really_ sick of it."

Wyatt looked down, and then back up. "...Thank you, Connor."

Connor shook his head. "Whatever." He said, before storming off. He'd had enough.

* * *

><p>"Ahh, Dr. Karev, Dr. Shepherd," Dr. Ford said when Megan and Bailey strode into the birthing suite where they were told to meet her. "You're here, now we can start."<p>

"Oooh, we've already started!" said the woman who was currently lying in the bed, grasping onto the sides for dear life. "Oooh, oooh! Ouch!" She was young, probably not much older than Megan and Bailey, and you could tell she was a pretty girl, even though her face was currently drenched with sweat.

Megan instinctively walked over to her bedside and extended her hand. The woman gave her a hesitant look then wrapped her fingers through Megan's, squeezing her hand tightly through her pain.

"Jenna Davis," Dr. Ford said. "Twenty seven years old, thirty-six weeks pregnant with twins. She's been in labor for the past eight hours now."

"Nine," The woman - Jenna - corrected, having caught her breath at the end of her contraction. "It's been nine hours. It took me an hour to drive myself here."

Bailey raised an eyebrow at her. "You _drove_ yourself here? While you were in labor? Don't you realize how incredibly dangerous that is?"

Jenna shot him a look and shrugged her shoulders. "When you're on your own, you do what you gotta do."

Bailey looked down, embarrassed. Megan sighed to herself and continued to hold Jenna's hand. "Well," Dr. Ford said. "Your assignment today is to keep Miss Davis comfortable. Bring her ice chips, hold her hand, offer her encouragement. Then page me when she's ten centimeters."

"How many is she now?" Megan asked.

Dr. Ford smiled at her as she started to walk out of the room. "Two."

* * *

><p>Zola didn't look up from her hands as she heard the door to the scrub room open. "Ready to get started, Tuck?"<p>

"Not Tuck,"

Now, Zola looked up, startled, and saw Sofia standing at the sink two down from her. Her friend smiled and began to wash her hands. "Hey," Zola said. "What are you doing here?"

"Wyatt cancelled," Sofia explained, scrubbing beneath her fingernails while trying not to rip off her polish. "So Tuck said I could scrub in."

"Oh," Zola said. "That's uh...great."

Sofia smiled. "See? Everything worked out."

Zola forced herself to smile too. "Right." It's not that she wasn't happy to be doing a surgery with her best friend, and she definitely didn't want to hurt Sofia's feelings, but Zola had been looking forward to spending some time with Tuck, alone. Today was supposed to be like the good old days, before things got complicated. At least they'd have Connor in the OR to ease the tension...

"Hey, ladies." Tuck said as he strolled in, scrubbing in at the sink in between them.

"Hey," Zola and Sofia unintentionally said at the same time. They glanced at each other, embarrassed, before looking back down at their hands again.

"Connor said something came up," Tuck said. "So it'll just be the three of us in the OR."

"Great!" Sofia said perkily.

Zola scrubbed her hands until there wasn't a single germ left.

* * *

><p>"Dr. Hunt?"<p>

Lydia looked up, meeting the face of the person who had interrupted her. "Connor Avery," She said. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Connor walked closer to her silently, staring down at his shoes at first instead of meeting her eyes. "I'm worried about Wyatt."

Lydia practically snorted. "Don't say it," She said. "Don't say his name..."

"He's way out of line!" Connor said. "I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't listen to me."

"And you think he'll listen to me?" Lydia asked.

"You're good at whipping people into shape," Connor explained. "If anyone is going to get to him, it's you."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Wyatt is not my problem. I don't have time to deal with him."

Connor sighed in defeat. "Alright," He said, turning around and starting to walk away. "You know, I helped him practice for that appy? Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't."

Lydia looked up, and watched Connor start to head off. "...Wait!" She called out. Connor stopped in his tracks and looked back, hopeful. "...What are you doing this afternoon?"

* * *

><p>Bailey sat in a chair in the corner of Jenna Davis's room, flipping through charts. Megan was now sitting next to her on the bed, holding the other woman's hand and letting her squeeze the Hell out of it when needed.<p>

"Goddamnit, this hurts!" Jenna cried.

"Just breathe, Jenna," Megan said soothingly. "Let's try to get your mind off of it. Why don't you tell me about your babies?"

Jenna nodded through her pain. "Well...they're fraternal. A boy and a girl."

Megan smiled and nodded. "Great. Tell me more."

"They...they have my nose. I saw it on the ultra...ultra..." The woman then promptly burst into tears.

Bailey looked at Megan, wide-eyed, but Megan seemed totally unfazed by this behavior. "It's okay, Jenna." She said, rubbing her circles on her back. "It's okay..."

"What if I can't do it?" Jenna said, practically blubbering because of how much she was crying. "I'm all by myself! How can I raise two kids? What if they grow up to hate me? What if they hate each other? Oh God..."

"Jenna," Megan said softly. "Jenna, look at me." The other woman continued to cry, then slowly lifted her head and met Megan's eyes. "I'm a twin, you know?"

Jenna smiled a little. "Really?"

"Yeah," Megan said. "I have a twin brother. It's really great. We fight sometimes, but at the end of the day we have a really special bond, you know? And we love each other to pieces."

"You do?"

Megan nodded. "And I swear, it's like we have super special twin powers." Jenna laughed out loud. "I can always tell what he's thinking. It's like I know my brother better than I know myself." She paused. "Yeah, it's hard too. Sometimes he drives me crazy, and vice versa. And sometimes I was such a brat I don't know how my parents didn't strangle me. But at the end of the day, it all works out. And trust me, Jenna, you will _never_ be alone. Not anymore."

Jenna smiled and said something else to her, but Bailey had zoned out by now. He was simply watching Megan. He hoped someday he'd be able to relate to a patient half as well as she was right then.

* * *

><p>"Staples, please." Tuck said. Zola reached for it, but Sofia was closer and grabbed them first.<p>

"Here you go, Dr. Jones." She said, and Zola could tell she was smiling under her surgical mask.

Tuck looked confusedly from one of them to the other. "Umm, thank you, Dr. Sloan Torres, but we have scrub nurses for that."

Sofia batted her eyelashes. "It's no problem, Dr. Jones." Zola forced a cough, loudly, earning a look from Sofia. "Are you getting sick, Dr. Shepherd?"

Zola smiled under her own mask, and mocked Sofia by batting her eyelashes. "I'm fine, Dr. Sloan Torres."

"Oh-kay," Tuck said, sensing the tension. "Making the first incision..."

* * *

><p>When Lydia saw Wyatt, he was surrounded by even more women than before, something she'd thought was not possible, since Connor claimed to have seen the entire staff of plastics nurses around him.<p>

"Oh God," One of the admirers said when she saw Lydia walking over. "It's _her_." It suddenly went quite, and Wyatt looked up at the subject of all of the women's disdain. When he saw Lydia he frowned.

"What can I help you with, Dr. Hunt?" He said, sounding annoyed.

Lydia forced herself to smile and leaned in closer to Wyatt, causing his admirers to share annoyed looks. "I know you're in plastics today," She said, as sweetly as she could muster. "But how would you like to do a big, _big_ surgery with me today?"

* * *

><p>"Step one is complete." Tuck proclaimed. "Starting bypass. Dr. Shepherd, would you like to connect the small intestines to the pouch?"<p>

Zola was about to respond, but Sofia cut her off. "Would you mind if I gave it a try, Dr. Jones? It's just...as an orthopedic surgeon, it is so rare for me to get in on a procedure like this."

"Dr. Sloan Torres," Tuck began. "With all due respect, I asked Dr. Shepherd..."

"It's fine," Zola interjected sharply. She handed Sofia the controls to the machine. "Go ahead, Dr. Sloan Torres."

Sofia looked at her for a moment, wondering what the catch was, before she took it.

* * *

><p>"Here's a coffee," Bailey said to Megan, handing her a cup. The girl smiled wearily from her spot by Jenna's bedside. She had yet to move, and they'd been watching her for five hours now. "Thanks," She said.<p>

From her bed, Jenna let out a loud cry. "Oh, oh God." She said. "That one _really_ hurt. How much longer do I have to do this?"

"Alright." Megan said calmly. "Dr. Shepherd, do you mind checking Jenna's progress?"

Bailey eyed her hesitantly. "Me? But I'm...I'm a dude."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Bailey, you're a doctor. It's not like that. Just check her dilation."

Reluctantly, Bailey did as he was told. Jenna spread her legs for him to look, and Bailey examined her. Suddenly, Megan saw his eyes go wide. "Bailey, what's wrong?"

"Ummm..." Bailey stammered. "I really think you should check this."

Megan sent a smile Jenna's way before letting go of her hand and walking towards Bailey. "God, Bailey." She said. "I know you really didn't want to do this but..." She trailed off when she saw what he did.

"I'm not seeing it wrong?" Bailey asked, panic in his voice.

Megan shook her head. "Nope. She's ten centimeters, alright."

"But you just checked her twenty minutes ago and she was only eight!"

"I know I did," Megan said, trying to regain her cool. "Alright, alright, it's fine. It's gonna be fine." She turned to Bailey and forced a smile. "Dr. Shepherd, page Dr. Ford and get me an ultrasound machine so I can check the positions of the babies. Alright?" Off his hesitation, she added: "_Now_."

* * *

><p>When Bailey returned five minutes later with the ultrasound machine, Jenna Davis was screaming in pain, and Megan looked more stressed than Bailey had ever seen before. "Where's Dr. Ford?" The latter asked.<p>

"She's in the middle of an emergency C-section," Bailey said. "So she's not coming."

"Not coming?!" Megan said. Jenna screamed again. Megan took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Okay, okay, okay...we've got this."

"Doctor?" Jenna piped up. "I...I feel something!"

Bailey and Megan quickly raced to check her, and they both froze. "Shit," Bailey cursed. "That's a foot. Oh, shit shit shit..."

"Bailey," Megan said. She was trying to keep her cool as she placed a hand on each of Bailey's shoulders. "You're gonna do what you did in that C-section yesterday."

"What?" Bailey said. "I...I can't!"

"Yes, you can and you will." Megan said firmly. "Now get an OR."

* * *

><p>When Wyatt entered Lydia's OR, he was surprised to see Connor there too. "You didn't say he'd be here." He said to Lydia, who was in the middle of cracking open the patient's chest.<p>

"Didn't think it mattered," Lydia said. "Ten blade." Connor slapped it into her hand unceremoniously. Lydia looked up at Wyatt as she finished opening the patient up. "Are you gonna get over here or what, Karev?"

Wyatt looked from Lydia to Connor and then slowly shuffled over. He looked up, and saw a full gallery. "You didn't tell me they'd be here either."

"Well this is a radical surgery," Lydia said. "And you know, Dr. Karev, after your performance in that appy, everyone wants you."

"It's exhausting, isn't it?" Connor added.

Wyatt stared at both of them, seeing they were echoing his words from earlier. He gulped. "...Yeah."

Lydia pressed a tool into his palm. "Now," She said. "Ready to suture a heart?"

Wyatt eyed her suspiciously. "Me?"

Lydia smiled. "Well," She said. "You _are_ a superstar in the OR."

Wyatt looked from her to Connor. The latter nodded in fake encouragement. Wyatt sighed, and looked at the blade in his hand. "Okay." He said. "Let's begin."

* * *

><p>Tuck and Zola watched in silence as Sofia began to work on the small intestines. "I have to say, Dr. Sloan Torres," The former said. "You are doing a great job."<p>

Sofia looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Jones." Then, she felt something - her hand slipped.

Something started beeping. The body cavity was filling up with blood. Sofia stared in shock, and she actually dropped the instrument - _into_ the patient.

"Dammit," Tuck cursed. He shoved past Zola and Sofia and stuck his hands into the patient, trying to find the tool Sofia had dropped. "Dammit, dammit, dammit."

* * *

><p>Bailey looked silently at Jenna Davis as she lied sprawled out on the table. Next to him, Megan was doing the same. "Dr. Shepherd," She said. "Do you want to make the first incision?"<p>

Bailey looked from her to Jenna and back again. He took a deep breath, then extended his hand. "...Scalpel."

* * *

><p>"I...I..." Wyatt stammered. He was staring into the patient's chest, panic rising in him.<p>

"What's wrong, Dr. Karev?" Lydia asked, unable to keep the pleasure out of her voice. "Is everything okay?"

"I can't find the source of this bleeding." Wyatt said. "Is it from the valve, or...?" He trailed off, looking to Lydia for guidance. Connor watched in anticipation as she delivered her answer.

"I don't know." Lydia said with a shrug. "If you're so great, why don't you tell me?"

* * *

><p>Sofia felt frozen into place as she watched Tuck and Zola work vigorously on the patient - the patient <em>she<em> could've just killed. "What did I..." Sofia said. "What did I do?"

Tuck looked up at her. "What are you still doing here?" He yelled. "Get the Hell out of my OR!"

* * *

><p>Bailey looked down at Jenna Davis, the scalpel poised in his hand. "I can't do this." He said.<p>

"Yes, you can Bailey." Megan said.

"No, I can't!" Bailey shot back. He looked to her, fear in his eyes.

Gently, Megan reached over and took the scalpel from his hand. "Let me, then." She said. Bailey hoped she could see his smile of gratitude as he moved out of her way.

* * *

><p>"Where is this bleeding coming from, dammit?" Wyatt snapped. He'd checked over the patient's heart at least three times and he couldn't find it. He looked up to Lydia and Connor, who were doing nothing. "Are the two of you just going to stand there and let this man die?!" He snapped at them.<p>

"Why should we help?" Lydia said coolly. "We're just here to be your fan club."

Wyatt stared at her, before looking back up to the gallery again. In there, no one was speaking. Everyone - even those who had been in adoration of him earlier - were looking at him with disdain. Now, Wyatt turned back to Lydia. He saw the look in her eye - she was _enjoying_ this.

He heard the sound of the scalpel hitting the floor as he practically sprinted out of that OR.

* * *

><p>Sofia looked to Zola, not knowing what to do. But Zola didn't do anything. She looked back at her, showing no signs of surprise.<p>

"Well?" Tuck thundered. Sofia looked back to him now. "I told you to get out of my OR! Are you deaf, Dr. Sloan Torres?"

Sofia opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. So she just turned on her heel and walked out of the OR, so she wouldn't burst into tears.

* * *

><p><em>All surgeons want to succeed.<em>

Bailey looked down at the baby in a blue blanket in his arms. The tiny infant extended a small fist to him, and Bailey smiled as he wrapped a finger around the little boy's much smaller one. He looked over to Megan, who was crooning at the small baby girl she was holding, mumbling comforting words.

"Karen and Shaun," Bailey said. Megan looked up at him, and Bailey laughed. "Can't say I've ever had a baby named after me before."

Megan smiled at him. "Me neither."

Bailey looked down at the baby again - Shaun - and shook his head. "I didn't even do anything."

"That's where you're wrong." Megan said. Now it was Bailey's turn to look up at her. "You were there," Megan explained. "And sometimes, that's enough."

* * *

><p><em>To a surgeon, success is everything. And failure is not an option.<em>

When Lydia walked out of the OR, she found Wyatt waiting for her. "What the Hell?" He snapped. He'd quickly gone from embarrassed to pissed.

"The patient's fine, thanks for asking." Lydia spat back.

"You..._humiliated_ me!" Wyatt cried. "And you compromised a patient's life to do it! You're...you're insane!"

"I knew the patient would be fine." Lydia answered. "Honestly, I'm surprised you held out for as long as you did. I thought you'd crack in under five minutes."

"How could you do this to me?" Wyatt said. "No one respects me now! You could've just ended my surgical career before it even started!"

Lydia looked at him angrily. "That's the point!" She said. "Your career hasn't started yet! You're an intern, Wyatt, you're not even a baby surgeon you're...you're a fetus surgeon! You can't walk around here like you own the place. You know nothing. This was a lesson - to teach you that you can't be cocky."

"You're right," Wyatt interrupted. "I am being cocky. But I earned this, I earned the right to be cocky today. I worked my ass off in that OR, and those women may just be a stupid fan club to you but they're right, I was a superstar in there. For once in my life, I exceeded expectations. I knew everyone expected me to fail. All of my life everyone has _always_ expected me to fail. I'm not Megan, I'm not perfect like she is. I've always been in her shadow. She got better grades than me, she got into a better college, she was sweet and polite and everyone loved her. And then at school, Bailey was always more popular than me. I was just like his sidekick, who flirted with too many girls and got a little too drunk at parties. I was always second to them, but not today. Now, I'mthe child my parents can be proud of. Now, I did something my sister never did. Now, it's about _me_, not about my sister or Bailey Shepherd, or you, or anyone else. I'd rather be cocky than worthless any freaking day!"

Lydia stared at him for a second, silenced by this confession. "You can't be cocky." She said. "Not yet anyway." Wyatt looked at her, confused. "If you keep this performance up, someday, you can be the attending around here everyone fears, who everyone strives to be. You think you were a star during that appy? You can be...a _million_ times better than that if you work hard enough. Everyone will worship you. They'll bow down and kiss your feet! Just stick with me and I'll show you how. I can make you into a cardio god, Wyatt."

Wyatt looked at her. "You're serious?" Lydia nodded. "...Okay."

* * *

><p><em>When you're a surgeon, your drive can make you act a little self-centered. Because sometimes, for you to succeed, someone else has to fail.<em>

When Zola left the OR, she found Sofia curled up on the floor. "Sof?" At the sound of her name, the other girl looked up.

"Don't talk to me," Sofia spat, angry. "I have nothing to say to you, Zola."

"I just want you to know it's nothing personal," Zola said. "I thought you wouldn't be able to connect the small intestines to the pouch but I never intended for Tuck to yell at you like that. It's my fault - I just wanted to be the star."

"Save it." Sofia said. She rose from her spot and glared at Zola. "You're right, it wasn't personal. Until _now_."

Sofia brushed past Zola and stormed away, leaving her former best friend in her wake.

_Maybe that's why so many of us are alone all the time._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Connor." Bailey said as he and Megan approached him. "Wanna hear what happened to Megan and me today? Well we - "<p>

Connor wasn't listening, he was looking over Bailey's shoulders. "Wyatt," He said. Bailey and Megan turned around, and sure enough, Wyatt was there.

Wyatt walked past the two of them to Connor first. "I'm sorry." He said. "I genuinely am. I'm really thankful for what you did for me, I shouldn't have been such an ass. I was scared that if I didn't act like that people would see me for who I am - nothing special. I hope you'll forgive me."

Connor's stomach did that thing again - the butterflies. He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, of course."

Wyatt smiled, and then turned to Bailey and Megan. "I have always felt like the two of you were better than me." He admitted. "You guys were so...so _perfect_, and for once in my life I wanted to outshine you. For once, I wanted to be the popular one, I wanted to be the one Mom and Dad loved more, and I promise I won't get carried away like that again."

Bailey was silenced by this confession - in all their years of friendship, he'd never known Wyatt felt that way. Megan, however, spoke up. "You honestly think Mom and Dad loved me more than you?" Wyatt nodded. Then, Megan surprised everyone - she laughed. "That's the biggest piece of crap I've ever heard!"

"Really?" Wyatt said. He was starting to smile again.

"Oh, the biggest." Megan said, rolling her eyes. "Come on Wyatt, don't be stupid - no one thinks less of you. Especially not our parents or me."

Wyatt smiled. "I gotta go, I'm scrubbing in with Lydia."

Megan gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Try not to kill anyone, Karev."

Wyatt grinned. "Will do, Karev." Megan smiled and watched as he walked off.

Megan looked to Connor and Bailey, who were watching her curiously. "That's another thing being a twin has taught me," She informed them. "I am an expert in speaking Wyatt."

_Competition isn't bad. Sometimes, it can be motivating._

* * *

><p>Zola sat outside the OR alone, in the spot Sofia had vacated, her gaze aimed at the ground. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to hold back a cry.<p>

_But when you're as competitive as a surgeon, the only person you can really trust, is yourself. And sometimes even that's iffy. Because competitiveness can drive us to do crazy things. _

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**


	4. Under Pressure

**A/N**: Sorry this chapter took so long! I'm just very busy. As the school year wraps up for me, I have several projects and finals in every class to study for, plus I'm working on another multi-chapter fanfic, and I'm trying to start an original screenplay which has proven very time-consuming. This chapter is short compared to the others, but it's still 2k+ words and I can't think of anything else it needs. I'll try to get the next one up sooner.

Title comes from the song by Queen.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show.

* * *

><p><em>Pressure. We all feel it. <em>

Wyatt was stunned as he looked from one case file to the other. He felt like they were surrounding him. When he looked left, case file. When he looked right, case file. When he looked up, down, forward, back, case file, case file, case file, case file.

_And when you're a surgeon, you're under pressure pretty much on a daily basis. It's not an easy job. Honestly, it's probably one of the hardest ones there is. _

He picked up one at random and started to thumb through it. Whatever intern Lydia had previously had on this case wrote in chicken scratch. He saw something that said 'allergic to...' Allergic to what? The next word looked like a blob.

"Hey," Wyatt looked up now, as Lydia stood a few feet away. The case files seated on all sides of him prevented her from getting closer.

_You need to make the right call, be quick on your feet, have fast hands. You can't just work under pressure, you have to thrive. _

"We need to visit all of these patient's today," Lydia said, picking up a random case file. She flicked through it quickly then chucked it back down. "Meet me in the cardio wing in five?" Wyatt opened his mouth to object, but then Lydia plucked the binder from his hand. "Oh, Luke Kravitz? You don't need to worry about him. My stupid intern killed him three months ago." She threw the case file back at him before walking off, leaving Wyatt sitting on the floor with all her patient files, feeling absolutely terrified.

_Because if you don't, someone else might pay the price for your mistake. _

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**

"Whatcha doing?"

Megan looked up as Bailey appeared behind her. His hand touched her shoulder and he peered around her to look at her computer screen. "Apartments?" Bailey said.

"Yeah," Megan nodded. "I need my own place. I just had no idea how expensive an apartment in Seattle was...I can't afford anything decent on an intern's salary."

"Can't you just ask your parents for a loan?"

Megan sighed. "I know my parents wouldn't deny me the money, but I really need to do this on my own. For the past two weeks since I got back from California I've been living in my old room - it's _terrible_! You know how hard it is to feel like a grown up when you have to live with your parents? Plus, I was kind of in a phase when I last decorated in there - it's all heavy metal posters, black studded accessories, curtains that keep the light out. But I never changed the wallpaper, so it's all pink and floral under all the teenage angst." She laughed rather awkwardly - Bailey knew she was thinking about what had come along with that "phase" too.

An image flashed to Bailey's mind of that day during junior year when he found Megan in the bathroom - purple hair, black clothes, hunched over the toilet with her fingers shoved down her throat. He shook his head, trying not to think about that. Megan wasn't like that anymore. And he wasn't like the guy he was that day either. They'd both changed. They were moving on, being adults.

Suddenly, he had an idea. "How do you feel about roommates?" Bailey asked.

Megan eyed him curiously. "Well, umm, I'm not opposed, I guess." She said. "Why do you ask?"

"I was asking cause..." Bailey began. "You could move in. With me."

* * *

><p>Zola fidgeted in her spot as she waited for her ortho consult. Next to her, Connor was taking notes on teardrop fractures, the ailment their patient was suffering from today. "How long ago did you page again?" Zola asked him for what had to be the third time.<p>

Connor shrugged and looked at the clock. "Probably no more than ten minutes."

Zola nodded and began to tap her foot impatiently. Why did it seem like lately she couldn't count on anyone else? Emergency pages were meant to be answered quickly, you know. She opened her mouth to tell Connor to page ortho again, when suddenly their consult appeared.

Sofia froze in her place when she saw just exactly who's page she was responding too. Zola narrowed her eyes. "You're late." She spat, annoyed.

"I had a patient," Sofia snapped back, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked at Connor. "Plus the intern forgot to include that it was urgent in his page."

"Oh please." Zola said. "You're a surgeon, you know that teardrop fractures need to be quickly repaired."

"No, it's okay." Connor interjected. "I should've been more specific. Next time, I'll..."

"Shut up Connor!" Both of the two women snapped, their eyes never looking away from the other. Connor sighed and ran a hand down the front of his face.

It would be a long day.

* * *

><p>When Bailey approached Wyatt, he found his best friend with his head buried in a binder as he scribbled furiously. "Hey," He said. "What's going on?"<p>

Wyatt held up a hand, signaling him to stop. "Can't talk right now." He said. "Really, _really_ busy."

"This will just take a second," Bailey said. "I just wanted to tell you that I asked Megan to move in with us and she said yes. I gave her my spare key."

Suddenly, Wyatt froze. He looked up at Bailey, a surprised look on his face. "You what?"

"It's no big deal, we have a spare bedroom," Bailey said with a shrug. "I mean come on, she's your sister, how bad can sharing an apartment with her be?"

"That's exactly my point!" Wyatt said, exasperated. "I had to live with Megan for the first eighteen years of my life, our rooms were right down the hall from each other. I did my time, buddy."

"Come on Wyatt," Bailey sighed. "She has nowhere else to go. Do the right thing!"

Wyatt laughed. "When have I _ever_ done the right thing?" He said. "Look Bailey, I seriously can't discuss this right now. Do you see all the work Lydia has assigned me? I have to move and fast or else she will eat me alive."

Bailey rolled his eyes. "Fine." He gave in. "But this isn't over!" Wyatt waved him off, as if to say 'yeah, yeah, yeah' and Bailey reluctantly walked away.

* * *

><p>To say that the air in the OR was tense would be the understatement of the decade. Connor felt like he was straddling the border between two countries that hated each other. Zola worked on his one side, instructing him on the steps of the repair but discreetly glaring at Sofia while she spoke, while Sofia stood on his other side, saying nothing but giving Zola so many bitchy looks that words were not needed on her part.<p>

Finally, Connor sighed loudly. "I'm sorry." He blurted out. "But it's very hard for me to focus on Dr. Shepherd's lesson when the two of you are clearly mad at each other." He looked from Zola to Sofia, who were both staring at him - clearly he had their full attention now. "Look Zola, Sofia," Connor said. "The two of you have been best friends for as long as I've known you. Whatever it is, I'm sure you can get through it."

Sofia scoffed and said her first words since they'd scrubbed in: "More like who it is..."

Connor looked from one of them to the other, confused (okay - and slightly intrigued). Zola simply glared at Sofia before looking back to him. "Dr. Avery, why don't you come up here so I can show you - "

Sofia cut her off. "Actually, I think Dr. Avery would benefit much more if I showed him - " She reached for Connor's arm, but Zola beat her to it.

"Please," Zola said. "Dr. Avery is _very_ interested in my procedure. Right, Dr. Avery?"

Connor looked back and forth. "Ummm, well..."

"See?" Sofia interjected. "Connor's just too nice to tell you he'd much rather be with me." She grabbed his arm too now and pulled it in her direction, but Zola did not let go, trying to pull him back towards her. This only caused Sofia to yank on him again, harder.

"Owww!" Connor cried as he yelped in pain, jumping away from them both. He rubbed his arm soothingly, making sure they hadn't pulled it out of its socket. "Jesus Christ!" He said. "Do you two want me to be the doctor or the patient here?"

Zola and Sofia shared a look, before each going back to their own work, heads bent. Connor shook his head and sighed, still rubbing his arm. He looked up at the ceiling and folded his hands. "Oh God," He whispered. "I know it's been a long time since I've gone to church, but please, grant me strength on this day."

* * *

><p>Megan smiled as she saw Bailey walk up to her. "Hey, roomie." She said jokingly, playfully bumping his hip as he leaned against the counter. "So? How did Wyatt take it?"<p>

Bailey sighed. "Not well." He said simply.

"Oh," Megan said, her face falling from disappointment. "Well, I guess I should've known. Thanks for trying." She dug around in her pocket for Bailey's key before finally pulling it out and offering it back to him.

Bailey looked from Megan to the key and then back again. _Ahhh, screw him_. He thought. "No," Bailey said. "Hold onto the key. I'm not going to kick you out onto the streets. We'll make Wyatt come around."

Megan eyed him quizzically but put the key back in her pocket. "Alright." She said. "But how so? You know Wyatt can be very stubborn."

"What were Wyatt's favorite things about you growing up?" Bailey asked.

Megan shrugged and thought about it. "I guess he liked that I wasn't one of those really girly, super annoying sisters, you know?" She explained. "Like, I listen to alternative rock. I don't hog the bathroom. I drink beer. I don't mind watching sports on Sundays. Oh! And when we were kids, I used to clean his room for him if he gave me five dollars."

Bailey grinned. "Perfect!" He said. "I want you to channel that girl, be Wyatt's perfect roommate! Then he'll have to let you stay!"

"Umm, okay." Megan said. "You think that will actually work?"

"Oh, please." Bailey said. "When he sees you, he won't be able to say no." Megan smiled at him, and Bailey swore he saw her blush.

"Alright, well..." She said. "See you at home?"

Bailey nodded. "Right." He affirmed. "See you at home."

* * *

><p><em>As a surgeon, you are responsible for so many lives. <em>

Lydia signed her patient's discharge papers as she continued through her post-ops. From behind her, Wyatt watched her hand glide across the page - he admired the curly loop of her L, the distinct point above her I. After a moment, Lydia turned her head, feeling his eyes on her. "Boy Spawn," She said, because even if she did claim to like him now, the nickname would not go away. "Did you book an OR?"

"Oh," Wyatt said. "I'm sorry, I forgot."

Lydia let out a long sigh and turned around so her whole body was facing him. She shook her head and did this thing Wyatt had noticed her do when she was frustrated - take her first two fingers on each hand and slowly rub her temples. "Look." She began slowly. "If you want to scrub in, you need to do what I ask you to. You want to be a cardio god? Prove it."

"I'm sorry, I -" Wyatt began, but Lydia didn't let him finish.

"Don't say sorry," She interjected. "Just do better. And finish my post-ops." She shoved the rest of her charts into Wyatt's arms, giving him a light pat on the shoulder for good luck before walking away.

Wyatt looked down at all the charts she'd given him and sighed. So far, being a cardio god wasn't that much fun.

* * *

><p><em>Not just all of your patients, but their families and friends, who will be forever changed if you screw up in the OR. <em>

Zola and Sofia were halfway through their procedure, but several minutes after Connor's intervention, they'd given up on playing nice. "And another thing!" Sofia interjected now. "You were always so damn privileged!"

"Me?" Zola snapped. "Privileged? I have worked hard for everything I have - "

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone entering the OR. Not knowing who it was, both of the women stopped speaking. When they looked to see who was there, it was Tuck. He was holding a scrub mask up to his face, looking from one of them to the other. "What's going on?"

"Oh thank you God!" Connor cried out from in-between them. He dropped his tool back on the tray and marched over. "I have been stuck with those two for hours now. Please, _please_ make them stop!"

Tuck looked even more confused now as Connor practically burst out of the OR. He glanced from Zola to Sofia. The two girls only stared back at him, unsure of what to say.

_Then there's your families and friends. Your lovers. Their lives will all be affected depending on how you treat them._

"So..." Sofia said awkwardly. "You want to scrub in?"

* * *

><p><em>Then, of course, there's you. The person who is dealing with all this pressure, who has to try and make it through. This is what we have to think about every single day of our careers. <em>

"This is it," Wyatt said as Bailey turned his key in the lock. "You have to tell her. I don't care if she has to live with our parents for the rest of her life, I cannot share an apartment with my sister. I already had to share a uterus with her, that's enough for a lifetime. I'm done."

Bailey sighed. "Fine, I'll crush her dreams. Is that what you want?" He asked sarcastically. Wyatt nodded eagerly in response.

They walked into their apartment to find Megan sitting on their couch, in sweats and watching TV. She turned it off when she saw them. "Took you guys long enough. Do you move at a snail's pace or something?"

Bailey and Wyatt exchanged a look. "Ummm...no?" The latter said.

"I've been sitting here alone after my shift for an hour and a half," Megan said, getting up off the couch. She disappeared into her bedroom, but kept talking. "I was so bored I started watching ESPN and cleaning the kitchen. What have you done to that poor stove, by the way? It was disgusting! And you don't have any good beer, you know. That's got to change if I'm going to be living here."

_So - why do we put up with this, you may wonder? _

Bailey and Wyatt watched as Megan reappeared in a blue tank top and white jeans - that had to be a record for the world's fastest outfit change. "So boys," She said, her hand on her hips. "You want to go to Joe's or not? I'll buy the first round."

_Well, we just couldn't imagine doing anything else. _

Bailey and Wyatt exchanged a look. Bailey raised an eyebrow. "So?" He said. "Still want me to kick her out?"

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**


	5. Bad Medicine

**A/N: **Here's another chapter/episode/you know the drill.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Grey's Anatomy_, and unless a string of bizarre events occur that place it in my possession I never will.

* * *

><p><em>To residents, our interns are like our children.<em>

"Okay," Chief Hunt announced. All of the interns were gathered in the lobby, ready for today's special assignments. All of their residents, meanwhile, stood up with Owen on the steps. Zola glanced over to Sofia who was standing a few feet away and not making eye contact. "Today, you are going to take everything your resident has taught you so far and use it on the service of an attending. Assignments are first come, first serve. Dr. Shepherd has a list of all-attendings who have cases together today, so get to it." He stepped out of the way and as soon as he did, Zola saw a swarm of interns rush up towards her. They all flooded towards her, shouting and making demands.

"Can I have neuro?"

"I want plastics!"

"Dr. Shepherd, I really really need to get into ortho-"

Zola looked around, as if silently begging someone to help her. The only non-intern she saw was Sofia, who smirked at her. "Better get to it, Dr. Shepherd." She said teasingly, before walking away.

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes, they embarrass us.<em>

Megan quickly walked into the bathroom, where she had the water running for a shower. The water was still cold, so she started to reach up to pull down her hair, allowing her towel to drop as she did so.

There was the sound of someone at the door. "Occu-" Megan began, but she was cut off when the door flung open anyway. Bailey froze, eyes wide, when he saw her. Megan promptly screamed, and reached to cover herself with whatever was closest - in this case the shower curtain. "Bailey! What the Hell are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," Bailey began, his expression still looking shocked. "I didn't know you were in here. I was just -"

"I'm naked and you're standing here making small talk?!" Megan spat.

"What?" Bailey said, his eyes getting even wider - if that was possible. "No, I mean yes, but uhh...I didn't see anything I swear! And I'm glad I didn't, this was an accident! Not that I'm saying I don't think you have a nice body, I'm sure many guys enjoy seeing you without your clothes. Well, not many guys, I mean, many guys would like..."

"Bailey!"

The door opened again and Wyatt walked in, having heard the commotion. He still looked half-asleep - he was in nothing but plaid pajama pants, his hair was mused, and a half-empty cup of coffee was in his hand. He looked around the room, suddenly alert now, from Bailey's look of horror to Megan covering her nakedness with the shower curtain. A grin slowly spread across his face. "Oh my God," He said. "My best friend and my sister, who would've thought..."

Megan was not amused. "Get out!" She yelled. "Both of you!"

Wyatt smirked. "You're funny when you're mad, Megs." He said. "You know, when you're not mad at me." Megan chucked a bar of soap at his head, and he barely dodged it.

"I'm sorry," Bailey said again as he started to back out of the room. "Sorry."

"Just get out!"

"Right, sor-I mean, bye. Bye." Megan was still giving him a 'what the Hell' look as he finally stepped out of the bathroom and shut the door.

Bailey sighed, while the sound of the shower running started inside the bathroom. Wyatt was now sitting on the arm of the couch, drinking his coffee and still grinning. "Oh Bailey. Bailey, Bailey, Bailey..."

Bailey scowled at him. "Just shut up. And go put a shirt on, why don't you?"

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes, they do stupid stuff. <em>

Connor tried to focus on pulling his pants back up and doing the buttons, which was hard when a pair of stunning blue eyes were currently watching him. He glanced up, seeing his latest conquest – Liam, his name was Liam – lying in his bed with dirty blonde sex hair and a pair of uncovered abs. He'd been a real catch, and Connor could only lick his lips and hold back a request for a second round.

"So," Liam said, adjusting the blanket so that it dipped a little lower, exposing a hip. _Damn_. "I had fun last night. You were…good. Very good."

Connor felt his cheeks blush bright red. He scavenged the floor for his T-shirt. "Last night was a mistake." He said. "I'm not ready for…for any of this."

Liam smirked and rolled over. A moment later he sat up again and extended his hand, offering Connor something. Connor finishing pulling his shirt over his head and then took it – written on the paper was a phone number. "In case you change your mind." Liam clarified.

Connor smiled and nodded, before grabbing his phone and heading to get his shoes so he could leave. He had to admit, the offer was tempting.

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes, they make a mess.<em>

Bailey, Megan and Wyatt walked into the hospital in absolute silence. Every time Bailey glanced over at Megan he saw she was trying her best to not look at him, while Wyatt had to keep himself from laughing every time he looked at the two of them. Once they finally reached the lobby, they spotted Connor, standing at the end of a slowly dwindling line of interns.

"What took you guys so long?" Connor asked. "We're on the service of attendings today! It's first come, first serve!"

"Sorry," Bailey said as the three of them joined Connor. "We had an..._incident_, this morning." At this, Megan shot him an annoyed look while Wyatt couldn't refrain himself from laughing this time. Connor looked absolutely lost.

Now, the four of them reached the front of the line. "Alright, I have four spots left." She said. "Who wants to be in general with Dr. Jones?"

"Me!" Megan said. It was clear she was ready to get the Hell away from them. Zola nodded and wrote her name down, while Megan quickly went off to put her scrubs on.

"Okay," Zola said, examining her list again. "Wyatt, Dr. Hunt has requested you in cardio."

"Lydia?" Wyatt said. "I've been with her all week! Can't I have something different?"

"Sorry, I'm just the messenger," Zola replied. "Lydia is an attending, and therefore above me." She smiled apologetically at Wyatt before sending him on his way. "Bailey," She said, turning to her brother now. "How about peds?"

"Oh, come on," Bailey said. "I'm your little brother, Zo. You can give me something a little better, can't you?"

Zola shot him an annoyed look. "All I have left is peds or the ER." She said. "And come on, you like Uncle Alex, right? It won't be so bad."

Bailey sighed. "Fine." He said. "But when all of the kids end up hating me this will be your fault!" Zola rolled her eyes at him and wrote his name down. Bailey then walked off to the locker room as well, leaving just Zola and Connor.

_You want your children to behave when you're in public so you don't look like a bad parent, just like how residents want their interns to appear competent in front of the attendings, so they don't look like bad teachers, or worse - bad surgeons._

Connor smiled brightly. "So," He said. "Who I am in the ER with?"

Zola looked down at her list again. "Your parents."

Connor gawked at her in response. "Wait, what?"

Zola smiled sympathetically at him and patted his shoulder. "Have fun, kid." Hopefully none of her interns would kill anyone today.

_But, no matter how hard you try to be the perfect parent, at least once in their life your child makes a complete fool out of you._

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**

Connor took a deep breath as he walked into the ER. Normally, The Pit was one of his favorite places in the hospital. It was always a hustle and bustle of activity, full of exciting cases and interesting people, a place where you never knew what to expect. But, working in the ER always had one major downside - his parents were almost always there. April was a trauma surgeon and one of the best ones there was - next to The Chief - while a lot of traumas also called for Jackson's plastics skills. Now, Connor looked around the ER. Where were his parents today...

"I told you Jackson to book those airline tickets a week ago!"

"I'm sorry April! I've been busy okay?"

"I've been busy too!"

Oh God. Connor closed his eyes and tried to mentally prepare himself_. You've got this Connor. You're a kick-ass surgeon and you've put up with your parents' antics for the past twenty-six years. It's just one case. One case and you can go back on your merry way..._So now, he opened his eyes and walked over to the sounds of his parents' voices.

Jackson and April were currently in one of the trauma rooms, arguing over a car crash patient - literally, over her. The woman in between them looked left to right, as Jackson stitched her up on one side and April cleaned her cuts on the other, bickering over her body the entire time.

"I said I was sorry," Jackson said now. "I planned to do it last night but then I got an emergency page and I forgot about it when I finally got home."

"Oh, I'm sure you did!" April snapped at him. "I bet you did this on purpose, didn't you? You've always hated my mom..."

"What?" Jackson said. "I do not hate your mom!"

His parents finally spotted Connor now, standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Connor, honey," April said to him, waving him over. Connor approached, hoping she was going to give him instructions to bring her gauze or take over for her - alas, his hopes were not met. "Please, please tell your father about how much you love your grandmother."

Connor opened his mouth, but Jackson cut him off. "April, I know you love your mom, and the kids love your mom, I just...I just think she's not too crazy about me, that's all."

"She likes you!" April insisted. "I mean, yeah, she wasn't too happy when her little girl got married to some guy she'd never met and got pregnant just a few weeks after the wedding..."

"Oh my God," Connor said aloud now, because why oh why did his parents feel the need to discuss this at his workplace, and the patient looked at him, clearly agreeing. Jackson and April, however, did not cease their lovers' spat.

"She hates me!" Jackson repeated. "I swear, she gives me this evil eye every time we go down to Moline..."

"So you did do this on purpose!"

"No, I told you April it was an accident!"

Connor sighed and looked to the patient. "How about I take you for a CT? Just to be safe." He asked. The woman nodded instantly. Clearly it would be a long day for them both.

* * *

><p>Megan let out a content sigh as she walked over to join Tuck – she always felt a little more at ease when she was in scrubs. Tuck looked up from what he was doing, looking worried at first but then relieved when he saw Megan. "Dr. Karev." He said. "I'm sorry, I thought you were Zola or Sofia."<p>

"Oh," Megan replied. "Well, sorry to disappoint."

"Oh, don't worry, you're not disappointing me at all." Tuck insisted. "If anything, you are making me very happy today. Can I tell you something?" Megan went to nod, but Tuck continued to get whatever he had to say off his chest before seeing her answer. "Zola and Sofia have just been driving me crazy lately. I don't understand why so many guys fantasize about having two girls fight over them – it is a nightmare! They're both great, really, but lately they've just been so…" He grappled for an adjective.

"Over eager?" Megan offered up. "Clingy?"

"Let's say…enthusiastic." Tuck said, and Megan nodded.

"Well, enthusiasm can be a good thing sometimes." Megan said. "For example, C-sections and tubal ligations make me enthusiastic."

Tuck nodded and put down his clipboard before turning to Megan. "I've just been really stressed lately. I need to do what I always do when I'm stressed – I remove some gallbladders, and resect some colons. Do you want to remove some gallbladders and resect some colons with me, Dr. Karev?"

Megan smiled and nodded eagerly. Tuck then walked off to go see if he could reschedule some surgeries, while Megan tried to contain the joy she always got when she was able to scrub in on something. Perhaps her day was getting better…

* * *

><p>Bailey's day was definitely <em>not<em> getting better. As he stood into the entrance of the peds ward, he felt paralyzed by fear. Normally, this would not have fazed him, but after that morning's events it probably didn't help that the current head of pediatrics was Megan's dad. What was he supposed to say to him now? _Hey Uncle Alex! How are you? I saw your daughter this morning, your only daughter who you have told me I was forbidden to date since I hit puberty. Yeah, anyway she was naked in my bathroom! Haha, please don't murder me with your bare hands! _

"Bailey!" As if on cue, Alex called him from where he was standing in the doorways of one of the rooms. He looked annoyed – had he been calling him for a long time? Oh crap, had Wyatt ratted him out? Bailey opened his mouth to speak but Alex simply waved him inside, not stopping to listen to whatever it was Bailey was about to nervously squeak out. Instead, Bailey kept his head down as he went in to join him. He just had to get through one awkward day in peds – and then face Megan and Wyatt again later tonight. Yeah, that would go really well…

When he walked into the room, Bailey saw a young boy of about six or seven with a clearly broken arm lying in the bed, and he got even more nervous than he'd already been when he saw which orthopedic surgeon was doing the consultation – Jo, shit. Now he had to face both of Megan's parents. It may have been Alex he'd been worried about seeing today, but Jo was tough – Bailey knew she'd probably be able to kick his ass too, if she really wanted to.

"Bailey," Jo greeted him with a slight smile. "Hi. I didn't expect to see you in peds today."

Bailey forced a smile. "Oh, I didn't expect to see you either Aunt Jo…" _Just fake a smile and act like nothing awkward happened this morning. _He thought to himself. _Just keep smiling…_

"So," Jo continued, after finishing her examination. "This is definitely a more severe break. We're going to have to do a surgery to realign the bone."

"Surgery?" A nervous looking woman – clearly the kid's mother – repeated, dumbstruck. "David needs surgery?"

"Elaine," The man next to her – the husband – said, trying to calm his clearly frantic wife. "It's going to okay, he'll be fine."

The wife was clearly not calmed by this answer. "You don't know that, Ken! People die in surgery all the time!"

"Elaine, calm down –" Bailey internally cringed. He knew from his previous relationships that you never told a woman to calm down when she was angry. When her husband said that, Elaine glared at him before stomping out of the room. Ken quickly followed at her heels, calling her name after her. Alex and Jo exchanged weary glances and slight sighs before following them out of the room, leaving Bailey alone with the kid.

The kid – David Berry, according to his chart – stared at Bailey from his spot in the bed, his one good arm crossed over his chest. Bailey eyed him nervously – he hadn't just been dreading peds because of the awkwardness, but also because he had very little experience with kids, being the youngest child in his family and all that. "I want lime Jell-O." David snapped at him. "Now!"

Bailey shook his head slightly. _Damn kids…_

* * *

><p>Wyatt tried to stifle his yawn as he sat listening to Lydia, who had been pacing back and forth and talking about aortic aneurysms for the last half an hour. Wyatt propped his head up on his hand and tried to stay awake. He'd had a five am wake up this morning and listening to Lydia talk for so long was making him tired. He was tired of aortic aneurysms. At first he'd found them exciting, he'd found Lydia exciting, he'd been excited by the prospect of being a "cardio god", like she'd promised him. But now he was just tired. He was an intern, this was supposed to be his time to explore all of his options, find what he was good at, not be stuck in cardio day in and day out listening to Lydia Hunt talk about aortic aneurysms.<p>

"So," Lydia said now. Wyatt's gaze focused on her as she stopped directly in his line of vision, hands on her hips as she looked at him. "In this case, what do you think caused Mr. Sweet's aortic aneurysm? Make sure to examine his entire chart –"

"High blood pressure which weakened the artery walls," Wyatt said without giving the chart a second glance. Lydia opened her mouth, surely to ask for an explanation, but Wyatt knew what she was going to say before she could say it. "He has a history of being overweight and he mentioned to us that he smokes during our routine questioning, which are both causes of high blood pressure. High blood pressure can weaken the artery walls which, combined with the natural problems from aging which Mr. Sweet surely has since he's well into his sixties, can cause a weak aortic wall which bulges outward. That's why I think his aneurysm was caused by high blood pressure."

Lydia looked impressed. "And how would you treat it?"

"It's a small aneurysm and therefore it probably won't rupture, so he doesn't need surgery, just beta-blockers. You can prescribe them."

Lydia nodded. "Good job, Dr. Karev. I think we're done here."

Wyatt perked up. "So can I go somewhere else? Like say, to watch the surgery going on in OR 3?"

"What?" Lydia laughed. "No, I meant we're done with Mr. Sweet. We still have to see Mr. Fischer and Mrs. Matthews and Ms. Hensley. So let's get a move on Dr. Karev because you're on my service. Or do you not want to be a cardio god?"

Lydia turned around and marched off, clearly expecting Wyatt to follow. Wyatt sighed to himself when she didn't wait for his answer. "Not really."

* * *

><p>Zola walked into the ER at a brisk pace after receiving her first page of the day. It had been from Callie – now the head of orthopedics – who said she'd had a car crash patient that she suspected of having a brain tumor. Zola looked around the Grey Sloan emergency room, anxious to get her day started. She didn't see Callie anywhere…but she did see Sofia. Standing next to someone who had clearly been in a car crash. Great, just great.<p>

Zola's worst fears were confirmed when Sofia waved her over. "I don't have all day, Dr. Shepherd." She snapped, sounding annoyed. "And neither does this patient." Zola rolled her eyes and walked over.

"I thought I was meeting Aunt Callie," She said.

"My mother is the head of orthopedic surgery at this hospital and a member of the board," Sofia responded, shoving some scans into Zola's hands. "She doesn't have all day to wait around, you know."

"I know that," Zola snapped, irritated, before turning to the scans. Someone had ordered full scans of the brain, which Sofia subsequently explained had just arrived and had been waiting for her to overlook them. A moment later, Zola lowered the scans and shook her head at Sofia. "This tumor is massive," She said. "It's in the cerebrum, which could affect reasoning, hence why she thought she could run that red light. I need to take it out, now."

"What about her legs?" Sofia said. She gestured to the patient, and when Zola looked at her now she saw that her two legs were hanging on by threads. "If I get in there now, I might be able to save them."

"If I don't operate on her brain right now, she's going to be dead."

"She's a runner, it's who she is! Before she passed out she wouldn't shut up about it! If I don't save her legs she's going to wish she was dead!"

Zola looked down, rubbed her temples. "Okay," She said. "How about this – you and I both operate in the same OR, you do your thing and I do mine."

"Seriously?" Sofia said. "You really want to do that? I thought you'd want to get as far away from me as possible."

"It's not about me." Zola replied. "It's about the patient, so are you in or out?"

Sofia didn't hesitate. "In."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, across the ER, Connor tried to focus on the words he was typing, but that was rendered impossible when he heard his parents' argument pick up again.<p>

"I'm sorry, we can go to Moline next month!"

"But I used up all my vacation time this month, so we could take this trip! You knew that!"

"My family owns the hospital April, I can get you more vacation time!"

"Oh yeah, cause you're Jackson freaking Avery, the world is your oyster, there's no problem you can't solve!"

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

Connor felt the eyes of everyone else in the ER focus on him – they all knew these were his parents that were making a scene. Connor ducked his head, and stuffed his hands into his lab coat pocket. He moved his thumb, and suddenly felt it glide across something smooth. When he pulled his hand out, he found the slip of paper with Liam's number on it – it must've fallen into his pocket when he'd changed into his scrubs.

Perhaps it was the urge to escape his current predicament, or the fact that he was currently witnessing a lovers' spat between his mom and dad, but something made Connor feel suddenly impulsive, like he should seize something that made him feel good. Either way, he found himself typing Liam's number into his iPhone, composing a message: _Wanna meet up later?_

* * *

><p>After three runs back and forth to the cafeteria – the first time he'd gotten green apple Jell-O instead of lime, the second time they'd been out of lime, and the third time David had sent him back to get him some wild cherry instead – Bailey was now seated next to his patient's bed, feeling exhausted. David was currently shoveling Jell-O into his mouth with his good hand, and Bailey was silently hoping that the kid didn't eat it too fast because then he might send him to get another one.<p>

He saw Alex and Jo reenter the room, which diverted his attention. The kid looked up, waiting to hear what his doctors had to say. "We just talk to your mom and dad," The former said. "And we've come to the agreement that we can set your arm if you only receive a minor sedative. Do you have any questions?"

"So will I be awake?" David asked. It took Bailey a second to realize the kid was talking to him.

"Well…yes. But you won't be able to feel anything, I promise." Bailey answered. The little kid's lower lip jutted out and he shoved his Jell-O aside, burying his face into Bailey's chest and catching him by surprise.

"I don't want to be awake!" He cried out. "It's gonna hurt!"

Hesitantly, Bailey reached out and rubbed the kids back. "You're going to be okay, David. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let anything bad happen to you on my watch."

The little boy looked up, tears in his eyes. "You promise?"

Bailey nodded. "I promise." David nodded and went back to finish his Jell-O, accepting this answer. When Bailey turned his head, he found that Alex and Jo were still in the room, watching him and smiling.

* * *

><p>Wyatt fidgeted in his spot as he waited for Lydia to finish discussing a patient's treatment plans with a nurse. He was opening to at least get out of there soon before the craniotomy going on in OR 3 finished. He was contemplating asking Lydia about it again when another voice cut them off.<p>

"Oh look, Boy Spawn is here."

Wyatt turned around and saw Cristina Yang in the flesh walk into the room. She grinned mischievously at him – ever since Wyatt could remember, Cristina had always teased him, like she did with Alex. That included calling him Boy Spawn, the nickname Lydia had since adopted.

"Aunt Cristina," Wyatt said. "Well, I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Don't be so enthusiastic, Boy Spawn." Cristina responded sarcastically. "Try to contain your excitement."

"What are you doing here?"

"I have an open heart surgery this afternoon." Cristina explained. "Lydia asked if I could get you in. You'll be watching from the back."

Wyatt turned to Lydia, as if silently asking her if this was accurate. Lydia briefly looked away from her conversation to meet his gaze and nodded slightly, before turning back around. She'd convinced her mother to let him in on a surgery, something Lydia clearly didn't do often. Maybe he could stay in cardio for one more day... "Sounds good."

* * *

><p>There was a tense silence in the air as Zola and Sofia stood together in the OR. The last time they'd operated together it had ended in a screaming match and a tug of war over Connor. This time it would hopefully be different.<p>

They were about ready to start when their scrub nurse walked in to join them. "Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan Torres," She said, sounding pleasantly surprised to see both of them. "I see the two of you made up."

Sofia laughed. "Oh, we did _not_ make up…"

Zola gave her a look. "Is it really that far-fetched?"

"Well," Sofia said. "It wouldn't be if you'd actually apologize…"

"If I apologized?" Zola said. "Why do I have to apologize first?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sofia snapped.

Zola raised an eyebrow at her. So much for playing nice…

* * *

><p>Connor couldn't help but smile to himself as he read Liam's flirty texts. <em>Can't wait to see your sexy ass tonight. ;)<em> The latest one read. Connor was about to type back when his mother interrupted him. "Who are you texting?"

Connor quickly pulled his phone to his chest as he spun around to face April. His mom was currently facing him curiously. "No one," He said.

He knew April probably wasn't buying this, but she accepted the answer anyway. "I'm sorry your father and I were being so…so immature today," She said. "We've come to the mutual decision to visit Moline next month. I might've overreacted." She checked her own phone and let out a small groan. "Your grandmother sent me another Bible verse. I swear, I never should've taught her how to text…"

Connor tried to hide how worried the comment made him. This was why he felt the need to have secret trysts with guys like Liam. He knew his parents would never judge him for his sexuality – they were both fairly open-minded people in most aspects – but his mother's family? That would probably be a different story. Connor's maternal grandmother sent him and his younger sister a new Bible every year for Christmas, and whenever he visited April's parents in Ohio they made him go to church at every available opportunity.

Connor had known he was gay for most of his life. Ever since he was three he'd felt different from everyone else, but he'd always been too afraid to be honest about who he was. A certain memory from when he was a child visiting his grandparents had always stuck out to him – Karen Kepner had been reading to him from The New Testament and came across a line from Romans, condemning the "shameful acts with other men" (a direct quote). Afterwards, April had chastised Karen for doing so and assured Connor that it was not their place to judge anyone, but the moment stuck with Connor still. Would the rest of his family think he was a sinner if he told them he was gay, think he was unnatural, immoral?

"And Connor," April said, dragging Connor from his thoughts. "I just wanted to let you know I really did enjoy spending time with you today. I want us to be close like we used to be. We should have dinner. Not tonight, I mean, I know you probably have plans with Megan or another friend but I don't know, maybe tomorrow?"

Suddenly, an idea dawned on Connor. "Sure Mom." He said. "I'd love that." April smiled and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek before letting him go on his way. As he walked off, Connor could feel the metaphorical wheels in his head turning.

This plan was crazy, and maybe a little twisted. But it might work.

* * *

><p>Bailey sighed to himself as he walked out of David Berry's room after David's arm setting. It had been a long day and he just wanted to go home. He was about to head to the locker room when Alex called after him. "Bailey, hold on a second!"<p>

Bailey stopped and turned around, meeting his godfather's gaze. "I'm sorry Uncle Alex, but it's been a long day and I'm really tired. Can I go now?"

Alex paused for a second, thinking. "Dr. Bailey was the one who said that I'd be good in peds. I'd had a long day then too. I'd spent all day holding a premature baby, but it made her see something in me. She just walked up to me and said 'You'd be good in peds, Karev.' I saw something in you today. So, now I'm telling you that you'd be good in peds, Shepherd. Think about it." And then he walked away, leaving Bailey to do just that.

* * *

><p>Megan walked out of the OR after a successful day of working with Tuck. When she stepped outside, she found Connor waiting for her in the hallway, looking visibly nervous. "Connor," She said, concerned. "Are you okay?"<p>

Connor stepped forward and wrung his hands nervously. He blurted it out quickly. "Do you want to go out? With me?"

Megan stared at him, at a loss for words. All her life, she'd always thought of herself as the girl who never got looked at twice. But maybe that hadn't been true. Connor had been her best friend for so long, and he'd always been there, even when she'd pushed him away. Maybe she just needed to take a leap of faith with him, give them a chance to be something more. "…Okay."

* * *

><p>"This is ridiculous!" Zola snapped after another good twenty minutes of arguing with Sofia. "I'm sick of this! We go to work and avoid each other, we come home and avoid each other, and when we're not avoiding each other we're fighting! This needs to stop now!"<p>

Sofia was silent for a long moment. "You're right." She said. "I want you out."

Zola gaped at her. "I'm in the middle of operating on this patient's brain –"

"Not out of the OR!" Sofia yelled. "I want you out of my apartment, out of my life!"

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, kids are messy. They pick their noses and don't share their toys and blurt out embarrassing things…<em>

After the surgery, Zola found herself walking out of the hospital by herself. How could Sofia just kick her out of their apartment? She had no right! God, this was so unfair –

As she walked into the lobby, she saw her brother, Megan, Connor and Wyatt all walking out together. They all laughed loudly, and it actually brought a smile to Zola's face.

_But we still love them because well...they're pretty damn cute._

Being an intern had its downsides, but for her it had been a much easier time, in her relationship with Sofia, with Tuck…

_And while the residents may not act like it, they like their interns. _

"Hey, Zo!" Bailey called out. "Guess who kicked ass in peds today!"

Zola smiled. "I knew you could do it, little brother."

"We're going to Joe's," Megan said. "You wanna come?"

Zola hesitated for a second. Megan was anticipating an answer, while Bailey was still grinning, Connor grinned brightly, and Wyatt gave her an encouraging look. "You know what?" She answered. "Why not?"

_Cause at the end of the day, just like with a parent and child, when they succeed, we do too._

**ZOLA'S ANATOMY**


End file.
